FOUND

So I've been watching LOST quite regularly from the beginning. And I'm convinced it's a really good show. If it was a movie, it would win more Oscars than Return of the King. Really, it would win every Oscar, including Best Animated Short. It's that good. But as I listen to friends talk about how frustrating it is to have all these questions and no answers (don't worry, no spoilers here), I keep thinking about the old radio serials I've heard about from back in the day (1930s). Of course, today, we don't really know what those were like, but we might be able to remember the original Batman TV show (a la Adam West) spoofing those radio serials with these words: "Tune in next week, same Bat-time, same Bat-channel..." (not to be confused with Bat chanel, a horrendous fashion idea that flopped early and often). It's the ultimate cliffhanger at the end of a great story, and I for one, welcome it. Yeah, it's hard not having all the answers just fall into your lap, but really, the joy is in the experience of the story...

One of the great things about LOST is that it has been with Jesse and I from the beginning. The first time I met Jesse was at a mutual friends' dinner party. Really, it was just dinner. Not the dinner, or even a dinner, just dinner. Anyway, this girl walks in late (uncommon, I am told) in t-shirt and jeans, and I thought, "Hey, that girl is cute, and she seems normal." Normal is actually abnormal at ol' Harding Graduate School, so that was refreshing. We played trivial pursuit that night, and won. Good sign. Over the weeks to come, I started wanting to hang out with this normal girl more and more, until it became fairly obvious to everyone involved that the best was yet to come. So, on that fateful day, exactly one year ago TODAY, I asked that fine young lass out for lunch after class. I was thinking, "I'm hungry, she's normal, this will be fun." Okay, actually, I was thinking, "I REALLY like this girl, how can I spend more time with her today, because I don't want to wait until tomorrow before I see her again." Admittedly, I wasn't shooting for the let's-figure-out-our-relationship-over-lunch-right-now thing that happened, but you won't hear me complaining about it anytime soon. So we went and got BBQ - we're in Memphis after all - and ate it outside at Audobon Park. As we were talking, I began to realize that this girl was not only getting more and more attractive with every minute (a trend that continues to this day), but that she was also very close to graduating and leaving Memphis for good! Quite a conundrum. So I started asking some rather candid questions about her future plans, until it became quite obvious why I was so interested. Pansy that I am, after our fair share of awkward silences and childish giggles, SHE blurts, "Are we going to talk about this or what???"

Well, we did. We talked, and talked, and somewhere between then and now, we fell in love. So, how did we get from LOST to here? Well, the first time we held hands was during the very first episode of LOST. Since then, there have been many other special firsts. Our first kiss, our first dance, our first late-night giddy phone conversation, our first Valentine's Day, our first road trip, our first Auburn football game, our first Harding soccer game, our first youth retreat, our first Christmas, our first failed ice-skating escapade for Christmas (but hopefully our last), our first season of watching Alias together, our first ministry experience together, our first "I love you," we're still waiting for our first fight, and of course, today, we celebrate OUR FIRST YEAR! (It's fitting that we're ending the day with an Alias Premiere Party, props to Brooke Ray)


Jesse,

Many things have changed since September 29, 2004, but one thing that has not is my firm conviction that God is blessing me with you. You are an amazing and talented woman who loves the Lord completely. Your passion for Him above all else, spurs me on to do and be the same. My prayer is that I will never take for granted the gift God has entrusted to me, the gift of love that you show me every day. I am the luckiest man alive to be able to say that Jesse Maddox is in love with me! The beauty of your heart will never fade, but only age with the warmth and grace that mark a Godly woman. That, above even your amazing outward beauty, is what makes you so attractive! I love your stubborn will, your nervous giggle, and the way your feet fidget when I kiss you. I love how you get scared watching LOST and curl up next to me. I love the timeless combo of Saturday brunch and college football. I love how you support my Red Sox addiction. I love your dog, and that you let me teach him how to jump. Basically, I love you. Happy anniversary baby.


To the firsts that are yet to come,
Nick