Sunday, October 29, 2017

Fall into Love: Melanie's story


When Hearts Connect
A Falling in Love story by Melanie D. Snitker

It amazes me how imaginative God is, and how He exceeds our expectations. This is especially true when it comes to answering our prayers.

Growing up, I hoped to eventually get married and have a family. When I went to college, I put all my efforts into my classes. But in the back of my mind, I wondered when I’d meet “the one” guy I’d eventually marry. I prayed God would help bring us together, and that He’d give us the wisdom we needed when He did. I sometimes wondered if I’d meet that guy in a class. Or maybe in the cafĂ© when I stopped to grab a muffin for breakfast.

As it turned out, I did meet the man who would eventually become my best friend, my soulmate, and my husband. It was even during my college years, but not quite the way I expected.

October 27 of this year marked the twentieth anniversary since the day Doug and I first spoke—by e-mail. At the time, he lived in Texas, and I lived in Oregon.

Our moms were e-mail friends and discovered they both had kids in college the same age. It wasn’t long after that when I received a message from him. He introduced himself, and our friendship took off from there. We e-mailed and instant messaged back and forth for over a year and a half. During that time, we became best friends and talked about nearly everything.

In July of 1999, our families decided that we should all meet up. We chose a place in Arizona and went on a camping trip. I can still remember the jumble of nerves and anticipation at the idea of finally getting to speak to Doug face-to-face. Would we still get along? Would we be friends like we were online, or find out we didn’t have nearly as much in common as we thought we did?

To our amazement, there were no awkward moments. We didn’t have to spend time getting to know each other. It was as though we’d been sitting in the same room talking for a year and a half instead of sending e-mails and instant messages back and forth.

Before going to Arizona, I was pretty sure I was already in love with him. But sitting there by the campfire, content just to be in the same space together, I knew he was “the one” for me.

I married my best friend on June 9, 2000. Since then, we’ve had over seventeen years of adventure. We’ve faced life’s challenges together and came out stronger on the other side. Looking back, I recognize all the little things that fell into place. If even one of those hadn’t happened, I may have never met my husband. Praise God He can look at our lives and see the big picture.

~*~
Author Bio: 

Melanie D. Snitker has enjoyed writing for as long as she can remember. She weaves together faith, love, and family to create memorable stories with a happily-ever-after. 

She and her husband live in Texas with their two children who keep their lives full of adventure, and two dogs who add a dash of mischief to the family dynamics. 

In her spare time, Melanie enjoys photography, reading, crochet, baking, and hanging out with family and friends. 

~*~
Book Blurb for Calming the Storm

A marriage of convenience isn't exactly what she had in mind. 

After a rocky start, Rachel Peters finally has her life on track. Then a tragic accident takes away her sister and leaves her to raise her niece, Kendra, alone. About to lose custody of her last blood relative, Rachel is desperate to prove she can adequately care for her niece. On the verge of running away to keep Kendra, a new friend offers Rachel an opportunity she can't refuse.

Brandon Barlow has long admired Rachel. When her world begins to fall apart, he feels led to help. A marriage of convenience would enable him to provide Rachel and Kendra with a stable place to live, proper health insurance, and a viable shot at staying together. Once Rachel gained full custody of her niece, the marriage could be annulled.

His plan provides the perfect solution, until Brandon realizes he's fallen in love with Rachel. Through love and patience, can he help Rachel realize that, even when she experiences storms in her life, she's never alone?

~*~
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10 comments:

  1. Thank you so much for the opportunity to participate in your Fall Into Love series of blog posts!

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  2. and just so you know - I love you more today than by that campfire 18 years ago. <3

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  3. You're welcome, Melanie! Thanks for being my guest.

    God bless you and your husband Doug!

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  4. I didn’t have a college sweetheart. In fact it took a good 15+ years after college before I met my husband. Glad the Lord finally brought him along!

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    1. So glad you and your husband met! The timing is always perfect when God's in control! Blessings!

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  5. I didn't. I went to college much later than typical students.

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  6. Hi Melanie! I didn't meet my husband in college even though I went to a coed university. Back in 2003, Internet dating was just springing up and it had a certain stigma attached to it. But I wanted to find someone different, outside of my usual circles and courageously put myself out there! I'm glad I did because that is how I met my husband! We got married in 2004 and are still the best of friends!

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    1. What a great story! I love that you are best friends, still, too. Thanks for sharing!

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