His Timing is Perfect

A World Full of Love & Perfect Timing

"Three things will last forever--faith, hope, and love--and the greatest of these is love." 

1 Corinthians 13:13 

I'm so excited to blog again. This is my second day :) I promise I won't be blogging every day but since it is so new right now.. its so interesting! It will be enjoyable to look back at the beginning of 2015 and see what all I blogged.

In this blog, I'm going to be talking about my relationship with my boyfriend of 2 years and 5 months on January 12th! I figured he should make the blog since he does mean so much to me. So, here is the story....

Tanner and I on our 2 year anniversary 

In 2008, my boyfriend moved to my hometown as a "new kid" at school, and he was an eighth grader. Of course, the first day he walked in every little seventh and eighth grade girl immediately had the idea that they wanted to be his girlfriend, myself included. I have never been shy, ever. I would be the first one to come up and talk to you and more than likely the last one to leave after I talked your head off. I've always been a strong Christian. As I saw the girls surround him, I knew (ME-Lori Thomas) would never have a chance with someone like him. I just kept my distance and continued on with my seventh grade year. 

Back then, the cool thing to do was ride golf carts and hang out in the neighborhood with the kids I grew up with. One day, they all made the decision to go meet the "new kid" in the neighborhood that lived about 5 houses down from me. Little did I know, the new kid was HIM, Tanner Roach. We rang the door bell and my heart sank. My friends and I went inside and I sat in the floor and played with his dogs. I was nervous but of course, not shy. 

Weeks passed and I still had a crush on him. He had other little Junior High girlfriends and he was getting comfortable and learning all the people at our school. Before that year was over, I received a text from him and we began "going out"... or whatever you call it in Junior High. Let me include, we never saw each other or hung out (haha) but that didn't matter so much to me, I just liked the idea of having the "new boy in town" as my boyfriend! The year came to a close and he went off to high school, we "broke up" because he was off to bigger and better things and I was still stuck back in Junior High. 

As the year went on, I had a different feeling about Tanner. I was never a girl that needed a boyfriend and was certainly not "boy crazy". I was content and happy with who I was and where I was. I enjoyed going to church on Wednesday nights and Sunday mornings and I did competitive cheerleading and football cheerleading. I loved hanging out with my friends and having slumber parties. Even when my girlfriends started getting into boys, I was satisfied with where I was in life and knew that God ultimately had a plan for me and my future.

Freshman year.... The year everyone anxiously waits but does not want to walk in on the first day. My best friend and I spent the night together the night before and all I could think about was getting to see Tanner at school again. As freshman year got started and I learned my way around, I began to take certain paths in between classes to be sure I'd pass Tanner in the hallway. (creepy, I know) Even if all I got was a smile, I was jumping for joy inside. 

The Sadie Hawkins dance came around in February of my freshman year and I knew just who I wanted to go with...but so many other girls had been asking him. His response to them was "No, I'm sorry. I think someone else was going to ask me." This bothered me because part of me thought it sounded cocky (lol) but the other part was dying to know who he was waiting for to ask him. My friends thankfully talked me into asking him one day after school. "It can't hurt. Its worth a shot," they would say. My heart was racing 90 miles and hour. I ran up to him and caught him after school, and said nervously, "Tanner, will you go to Sadie Hawkins with me this year?"......

"Yes." (and I even got a smile and a laugh)

WHAT?? I was in SHOCK. I was the one he was waiting for to ask! Oh my gosh. God really was hearing my prayers and he answered them. My small dreams were coming true right before my very eyes ;)

Sadie Hawkins came along and I had the cutest little red dress and he matched just perfectly. It was a night I will remember the rest of my life. We ate dinner and danced (yes, he danced and he is so shy). That's all- and I could have sworn I was the happiest girl alive.

After that day, we didn't date. In fact, we didn't talk for about 6 months. I was heartbroken but still young and finding my way in the world. I was still attending bible studies, football games, and being myself. 

It was July of 2011, and I got a text from him. "Hey:)" It took me about 30 minutes to reply because all I could do was jump up and down and scream! Yes, I was so excited. But no one outside of my two best friends knew how much I liked him! (That I knew)

The next month, August 12, 2011- He asked me to be his girlfriend in my driveway after he had taken me home from hanging out one night. I was absolutely ecstatic!!! 

The rest is history.

Tanner and I after I was crowned Homecoming Queen
(such a HUGE blessing)

We have been dating ever since, and I can still say he is everything I could have wished for. God knew my story back then and I trusted that He would bring the right guy into my life on HIS timing, not mine. Little did I know, His timing was so much earlier than I had expected. 

To this day, we pray together and for each other. We hold strong expectations and moral standards for our relationship that we promised to the Lord we would always follow for as long as He wanted us to be together. Of course, not everything is perfect.. but it shouldn't be. We have experienced hard times, deaths, sorrows, and struggles together. We have also had amazing memories, laughs, stories, and fun times together. God has used us to do so many great things for others and in return, it has built such a strong God centered foundation for our relationship to strive off of. I'm so blessed and humbled to have such an amazing person in my life to encourage me, help me, and love me through every circumstance. I absolutely love his family and every one in it, even the aunts and uncles, grandparents, cousins, and doggies. 

When I reflect back, I thank God for exactly how everything took place. In this time, he has showed me what it means to love and be loved. For all you precious christian girls out there- never think for a second that you should settle for someone when you have your whole life to find who God created for you. Your time will come, and you will know immediately when it does! Always remember it is on HIS timing, not our own.

"For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven."

Ecclesiastes 3:1