Our story - part 4

In case you're just joining us, here's links to the previous blogs:
Part 1
Part 2
Part 3

A quick recap: Jason and I met online back in May 2007. We met in person in Chillicothe, and then Jason came to visit me Memorial Day weekend. Things were clicking, there were definite sparks, but we were two different people.

Jason was so happy to get the relationship going, but I was jaded, cynical, doubtful and distrustful. I knew I had to let go of this if things would ever work out. So needless to say, things were a bit bumpy at first. A good analogy of our relationship - both of us are on the same rollercoaster and it has a REALLY big first hill. (This would be falling in love - really really in love.) Jason was all for it, ready to go plunging 100 mph down that hill with his hands wildly waving above him yelling "WHEEEEEEE" the whole time. Me? I was the one freaking out, wanting to get OFF the ride, shrinking as far down as possible and closing my eyes praying to God it wouldn't be as bad as I thought it was going to be.

How's that for a mental picture? :)

So with that as a background, let's get on with the first weekend I drove down to Olive Hill, Kentucky to visit Jason. It was a week after he visited me and he arranged for me to stay with his parents. I was so nervous about staying with his mom and dad. We're not just talking about meeting his parents, but staying in their house - walking around in pajamas in the morning, getting ready in their bathroom, eating their food. There really was no alternative, it's not like there's a hotel to stay at in Olive Hill.

I got off work early and headed east to Kentucky. (For those in Ohio, that's S.R. 35, not I-75.) It was a looong drive and it was almost dark by the time I got there. Jason met me at the Dairy Queen in town, where I got a huge hug from him, and then I followed him to his parents' house. His parents were very welcoming and low-key people. (Well, of course, it's where Jason gets it from.) Jason stayed over and slept on the couch and I was in the guest room. The next morning Gayle made eggs, sausage, biscuits and gravy. How do I remember this so well? Because we've had it almost every Saturday morning in Olive Hill since then. (Yummy!)

Jason showed me around his town, where he grew up, where he went to church, and where he went to school. We went out to his cabin and hung out there the rest of the day. Jason made dinner on the grill and we sat in the hammock and just enjoyed the cool summer evening. We headed back to his parents' house and sat in the guest room watching TV and talking.
The next morning we went to his Baptist church where I got to meet his Sunday School class - he taught the High School class. They loved to tease him and having me there just gave them more to harass him about. (Not that week, but a few later, one girl asked what I was doing there if I was from Dayton. She hadn't quite caught on that Jason and I were dating. LOL! I won't mention who she was since she's probably reading this on facebook...) ;)

Being back in a traditional Baptist church brought back a lot of memories. The hymns, the choir, the invitation at the end. It really felt like I was back at home. My favorite part about the Baptist church is their support of missionaries. If it wasn't for my Baptist church where I grew up, I don't think I'd be so passionate about the people in Honduras. I probably wouldn't have ever gone on a mission trip.

After lunch at his parents' house, Jason took me to Carter Caves. We went through the Saltpetre (not a typo) Cave which is underground. I'm so glad we went at that time because it's now closed due to a disease that kills bats. There are other caves to go through though, thankfully. If you'd like to see Carter Caves, you'll have to go see it yourself - it's amazing. I'll show you a picture of Jason and me while we waited for the tour to start.
So we get back to Jason's parents' house, Gayle had made a stack cake for me to take to work the next day. I was so impressed that she would do something like that for me. We wrapped it up and gingerly put the cake on the back seat of my car. Jason and I had a discussion about whether or not to put it on the floor. I won because the floor was dirty, so it was going on the seat. I had to get on the road, so I said goodbye to my gracious hosts and followed Jason out to the highway. Another huge hug and I was on my way home.

And then somewhere just past the Ohio state line, Bambi hit. Bambi hit my car. I've never hit a deer before and I had no idea what to do. My first thought was to drive up a little further because I couldn't bear the thought of stopping next to a dead or severely injured deer. Seriously. My clear thinking had been replaced with scattered thoughts.

First I called Jason and told him I hit a deer. He asked if I was okay and I said yes, but the cake didn't make it - it wasn't on the seat anymore. And before Jason could get any further information, I told him a state trooper had pulled up behind me so I had to go. (We laugh about this now, but I was REALLY upset about the cake.) So I get out of the car and he tells me that he was coming the other way and almost hit the deer and then saw it jump in front of my car. So he turned around and came to check on me. My car was hissing so we assumed it was the radiator and it was best that I didn't drive the car any further.

I called Jason again and reassured him I was alright. I checked on the cake and it was laying on the floor - plate down. Maybe it would be okay. (I've learned my lesson. Cakes go on the FLOOR.) Jason said he'd be right there and would pick me up in Lucasville, which was just a few miles down the road.

I got in the state trooper's car and called my insurance company while the trooper called for a tow truck. After the calls were made, we chatted about church and he said it was good to meet a sister in Christ. That really helped me get through the next hour.

When the tow truck driver showed up, the trooper reassured me that he was a good guy (although a rough-looking chain smoker). He took me and my car to the Speedway in town to wait on Jason. I went inside to get something to drink and a few minutes later the tow truck driver came in and suggested I get in the truck. I guess a homeless man was going around harassing people. I was glad for the help, but it was really unnerving. Where was Jason?

And then my knight in shining armor arrived to pick me up. I almost started crying at the sight of him. I was definitely crying later in the safety of his car - from exhaustion, frustration, and relief. We didn't get to my house until after midnight, so I insisted that he stay over and head back in the morning. He wasn't sure about staying over, but since we hadn't kissed yet, I told him it was okay, we were still in the "friends" stage. Gotta tell you though that a huge kiss would have been in order that night! And even if I was still saying we were just getting to know each other, I was definitely falling in love with him! Maybe that first hill on the roller coaster wasn't going to be too bad after all.

By the way, the cake did make it to work with me the next day. It was a little flat on one side and wasn't quite centered on the plate. But everyone said it tasted great - even if it did hit a deer. :)