9 years and counting!

WARNING:  This is the longest post in the history of posts.  But it's a great read.  :)

I've wanted to document how Trey and I met for a long time and I finally got around to writing it... here goes:

Trey and I met in college. We fell in love. We got married.

The end.


Just kidding!

Seriously, I wanted to chronicle our love story before I get too old to remember all the details. This is more for us and our kids than anyone.

I honestly don’t remember what year it was I met Trey. I think it was our sophomore year of college. It’s funny, because I do remember a conversation when we did first meet, I just can’t remember when it was. And I don’t remember who introduced us either. Oh well.

Here is what I do remember about that first encounter. Trey was standing next to a big trash can outside of the kitchen at the BSU (Baptist Student Union or Baptist Collegiate Ministries). I’m pretty sure he was talking to someone. The friend I was with, the one I don’t remember, asked me if I had been introduced to Trey Steiner. I said something to the effect of, “No, not officially… I mean, I know who he is, but I don’t KNOW him, know him.” She pulled me over there to the trash can and introduced me.

I remember he was dating someone at the time. Someone I thought did not fit him well, even though I didn’t know him. And what’s funny is that later on, when I admitted this fact to him, he said he thought the same thing about me. Because I was dating someone at the time that didn’t fit me at all either. Turns out we were both right about each other.

But the Lord knew what He was doing. We didn’t date those folks for long. Soon we were both single and we stayed that way for a while. I think God was trying to tell us to wait for His choice to be presented. I had no idea it was Trey… and I don’t think Trey had a clue it was me.

In November of 2000 the BSU went on a mission trip to Mexico. I was assigned to the same team as Trey. The goal was to build a house in a week. I have no idea why I signed up to go on this trip, except for the fact that every one of my friends was going. I did love mission work, but we were going to have to sleep outside… in army tents… in the COLD… with NO SHOWERS FOR A WEEK. In hindsight I thought maybe I would have served better at home… praying in my warm bed. But again, God placed me on that bus for that umpteen hour drive to Juarez. He had other plans.

I was so blessed by those people who were so grateful for a ‘hole in the wall house’. It was basically two rooms. It had no bathing facilities… it had NO plumbing. And I remember one of the men for whom this house was being built; he was so proud and so thankful just to have the roof over his head.

It still reminds me how much I take for granted in my own life. So what that I froze to death in the cold in temperatures that reached 16 degrees at night? It was for one week. Some of those citizens live that way their whole lives.

Okay, so Trey and I were on the same team on this mission trip. I can remember watching Trey on the roof of that house, driving nails in with his hammer. We brought our own tools on this trip. I could tell from watching him that he knew what he was doing. He was no rookie. I was though… I think I could count on one hand how many times I’d actually held a hammer up until that point. I tried to help hammer nails in the two by fours for the walls and missed so many times… I held up the progress. So, I did what most of the other girls did… I played with the kids or I help sift the rocks out of what would be the cement used for the stucco. Basically, I stayed out of the way of progress. And I’m pretty sure I whined some about the cold.

Trey and I didn’t have much interaction on that trip. I just mainly remember watching him. Until one of those days I had a splitting headache. I was sitting down with my head on my knees and he walked in front of me. He asked me “what was the matter” (Actually, I think he words were, “What’s your problem?”) I told him I had a bad headache and didn’t feel well. I could see he felt bad for his comment and he said, “Oh, sorry…” before walking away. Our next encounter was much more lighthearted.

Remember I said it was cold while we were down there? Well, it was windy too… everyone was chapped from the cold. Chapstick was in high demand. And this girl has always got some Chapstick with me. Trey had been either laying the foundation or putting the stucco up that day and he was sitting down on the ground taking a break. He was dirty and his hands were gunky. And his lips were severely dry and chapped. He was in need. And I happened to walk by. He asked me if I had any Chapstick, and if I did, could he borrow it. I said, “Sure! But I’ll have to put it on you because your hands are really dirty and I don’t want my Chapstick to get yucky” (or something to that affect). He puckered up and I applied the Chapstick. It was quite funny.

Someone even said, “That’s what married people do!” Little did anyone know…

We got back from Mexico and life was busy with Thanksgiving holiday and then Christmas. I was getting a serious crush on Trey at that point and I kept waiting, waiting, and waiting for him to call me. It was February before he did. Talk about taking his sweet time!

We had both attended a college fellowship one Sunday evening after church. It was pouring down rain when I left, I remember being scared that my little Toyota Corolla was going to get stuck leaving the muddy street side I’d parked on. The phone rang shortly after I arrived home. It was him! I was giddy and trying not to be too excited over the phone. I could tell he was a little nervous. He asked me to lunch… Of course I said Yes! Then I hung up and began fretting about what to wear.

It was Monday, February 12, 2001 when he picked me up at my apartment (duplex) and we headed to Trenton Street Café. He was driving the little black S-10 (nickname: the Best10) with the broken seatbelt. We sat in a booth and talked about our families and where we were from and all that stuff. It was so fun and very sweet. He dropped me back off at my apartment and he headed to class. I headed to work at the church. He was late because we talked so long! And I was BEAMING! as I strolled into the office that day. Even the Pastor noticed something was different. He found out that I’d been on a date with a guy named Trey and from then on the Pastor would look at me in the office and just wave with three fingers to tease me.

I don’t remember us ever having a conversation about being an official couple. We just were. We got pretty serious about each other pretty fast. It’s one of those cliché things – when you know, you know – and we just knew. I think it was sometime in May when Trey first uttered those 3 little words every girl wants to hear. It was a huge deal to me for someone to say that they loved me. I’d never heard that from a guy I’d dated before, because I’d never been too serious about any other guy I’d dated. I had told Trey early on that he’d better not say those words to me unless he was for sure that he meant it. And I also told him not to say “it” unless he knew wanted to marry me. I just feared so badly getting my heart broken that I never wanted to hear him say those words and then take it back. I was trying to be careful with my heart. And I knew he was holding it.

I can remember exactly where we were and what I was wearing when he told me he loved me (at his house, snuggling on the couch and I was wearing a short black skirt and turquoise short-sleeved top). It had gotten real quiet and he just leaned over and whispered in my ear… “I think I love you.” Immediately my heart started racing because I knew I was in love with this man, but he took me completely by surprise at that moment. So, I said, “You think you do?” And then he clarified, “I don’t just think so, I do love you.” And then I scared him by waiting a few seconds before I responded because I needed to catch my breath. Then I said, “I love you too.”

I’m pretty sure I reminded him of my stipulation about those words… he had remembered what I’d said. And then I heard wedding bells.

We continued to date and grow closer over the summer and by the time Fall Quarter started I was wondering when he might pop the question. I was ready to plan a wedding! He finally did ask me to marry him December 22, 2006. I remember that I had planned on going home that day for Christmas break and he asked me to stay one more day and wait to go home on Saturday. I wasn’t at all expecting to be proposed to. We drove to Monroe to eat dinner and catch a movie (Ocean’s 11, I still have the ticket stub). We were driving back to Ruston and getting phone calls from friends that wanted to hang out. I thought we were going to go to a friend’s house for awhile, but Trey said he just wanted to go home. I thought he was just being anti-social, ha!

We went back to his house to just hang out and he started acting all nervous. I asked him if we were going to exchange Christmas presents and he said okay. He went to get mine and it was in this big box. I started unwrapping it and was confused when I saw a picture of a telephone on the outside. So I opened it up and then noticed that the inside of the box had pennies glued to it (to make it heavier). I looked inside and saw a small ring box. THEN I knew.

Trey quickly took the ring box from my hands and opened it up to show a sparkling diamond ring. He got down on one knee and asked me to marry him! Of course I said Yes! I was shaking from the shock and excitement! He really had me fooled.

I found out later that he had driven to Shreveport earlier that week (or the week before, I can’t remember) to talk to my Dad and ask his permission. My parents knew the whole time! And he had also fooled me the day he went to pick out my ring. I thought he was studying at a friend’s house, but little did I know that he had driven to Alexandria and back to pick up the ring. So sneaky, but very sweet!

Our engagement was a quick 6 months and somewhat stressful! I was trying to finish school and working on an impossible group project for a class that took so much of my time. There were times I thought I wasn’t going to make it through. We did, thankfully, and I was never more relieved to graduate knowing it was only a month later we’d be married!

My graduation, one month before the wedding

June 15, 2002 was our perfect wedding. I don’t remember being nervous, but just giddy excited! I do remember being told about a nervous groom in the hallway though…  We said, “I do” just after 2:00 pm and I’ve never regretted it.

Horse back riding on our honeymoon.  Trey was not thrilled, but I was loving it.  And I picked the biggest horse they had!  Ha!

Sure, we’ve had ups and downs. We’ve moved 6 times in 9 years and totally remodeled 2 houses. We have 2 precious daughters (one came easy, the other was a struggle). But through it all I’ve always been glad to have Trey by my side.

Gussied up for Mardi Gras Ball in 2006.

Blowing in our insulation in our current house... messy! (2009)

“God gave me you for the ups and downs
God gave me you for the days of doubt
For when I think I’ve lost my way
There are no words here left to say, it’s true…
God gave me you”

Dave Barnes



Trey, I love you more than words can say. In our day to day lives we say, “I love you” many times, but it I feel those words each time I say them. I can’t believe it’s already been 9 years since we said, “I do.” I love you deeply. Happy Anniversary, Babe!