What's Your Real Name?

JD and I met at the end of the summer of 1997. I was currently working for Pine Cove Christian Camps, where he had worked the summer before. His girlfriend at the time was working with me and he came to help "tear down" summer camp to get ready for conference season. That summer was only introductions.

The next summer we both were working at Pine Cove again. I was a counselor for 2nd-5th graders and he was the work crew director (in charge of kitchen staff and maintenance). Once every five weeks counselors rotated out of the cabin and onto work crew. During my week on work crew I was able to get to know him more. I was friends with his girlfriend (the same one from the previous summer) as well. One day I remember it was just the two of us in the kitchen talking. He talked about said girlfriend often and I vividly remember the discussion of marriage between the two of them coming up in our conversation. Because he was seriously in a relationship with one of my friends, I never once felt attracted to him, but I remember thinking I wanted to marry a man just like him. He loved the Lord and it was very obvious in all he did. After that summer I did not keep up with him. I had no idea what was going on with him. It was just a work crew friendship.

Fast forward to the next summer-- I worked at camp again, with the same girlfriend. I found out through the grapevine that they had broken up sometime during the last school year. I felt sad for her since I thought they were a match made in heaven. Obviously not.

Stand-by, Inersha, Loko, Walpaper, Tomahawk

Here is where I will educate you on the camp name. Pine Cove staff, during orientation week, "names" all of the new staff. It's just more fun to have a name that is not your birth name, plus it allows the campers to respect you without calling you "Ms. KLee". How boring. JD's name given to him in '96 was Tomahawk. My given name in '97 was Walpaper. We each had to go on stage and answer questions about who we are, where we go to school, most embarrassing moment, etc. How we got our names could seriously be another post in itself, so I will spare you.

One of our mutual friends, whom I had worked with in '98 and JD, I mean Tomahawk, had gone to college/Bible study with is Inersha. Inersha and Tomahawk were accountability partners during the 98-99 school year, meeting on Tuesday nights. Inersha is a great guy who happened to call all the PC staff on their birthdays to wish them happy birthday wishes and to catch up. My birthday in 1998 was on a Tuesday night. He called like a loyal friend. During our conversation it came up that he was actually meeting with Tomahawk for their weekly accountability time. Somehow (God ordained I am sure) I was on the phone with Tomahawk getting to know him since I didn't talk to him more than small talk that one week during the summer. The conversation ended after talking for 45 minutes.

After that initial conversation we talked on IM (remember that AOL time waster? Kinda like Facebook today!) and continued to get to know each other more. At some point in time he mentioned going hunting. I said something about my grandmother being a hunter and I would love to do it sometime. So, he invited me up one weekend in September. I was shocked, but accepted. At this point it would be so fun to say I was in like with this boy, but I wasn't. We were just friends. I drove FOUR HOURS to go hunting with a group of his friends. Crazy, I know. I didn't call my mom to tell her until I was parked in front of his house. She flipped because I didn't know his last name (now that I have a daughter I know why). I assured her he was not some freak I met on the internet, but a great lovin' the Lord kind of guy. He had moved back home to finish school and when I rang the doorbell and met his mom for the first time, he introduced me and said, "Mom, this is Walpaper...what's your real name?"

That weekend was fun to hang out with his friends and actually go hunting, to soccer games, and watch a movie. It wasn't until I got in my car to go home that I realized there was something more to this guy than just a friend. We officially started dating in October and realized after about 6 weeks that there would be a wedding in the near future! He proposed the next August (1999) by writing (and playing and singing) a song about our relationship. Priceless! We were married in March 2001 (Yes, Inersha was in our wedding for those of you wondering).

We have been through many challenges in our near 8 years together--school, moving across the country, miscarriage, but with challenges there are also joys--being in ministry together, stepping out in faith when the Lord leads, and also children! I am so thankful for the man God has allowed me to share life with. He is my strength, my life partner, and the love of my life!

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