Like every couple, we think our romance is fantastic. We hope you enjoy reading about it!
We met in Marion, Alabama, on October 4, 2004. Thomas was a cadet at Marion Military Institute, and Gabrielle was a student at Judson College. After meeting, Thomas found out Gabrielle's name and phone number and called that weekend to ask for a date. Against all her better judgement, she immediately said, "Yes!" Thus began our beautiful (G-rated) romance.
On our first date we drove, unbeknownst to Gabrielle, in the middle of the woods to see (for lack of a better description) really fancy out-houses. Gabrielle became a little concerned about where Thomas was taking her and got her pocket knife ready for action. (Not joking - the pocket knife was in her back pocket and she knew how to use it!) So as he got out of the car, steadily talking about his amazing discovery (of the out-houses), Gabrielle stayed in the car. He turned around and asked, "Aren't you coming?" She replied, "Eventually." He smiled and said, "Oh, you want me to open your door?" And she replied, "Of course." He opened the door, and she kept her distance as they walked to the out-house. As soon as she saw the toilet, she burst out laughing, let go of her knife, and we continued our date. We then went to The Olive Garden and Barnes &Noble. (College students are poor.) We then went back to campus and walked around talking.
We went on to date for about a month before entering courtship - an intentional, exclusive dating relationship in which we began to pursuing marriage. After a few months, Thomas had to go away for Army training, and Gabrielle graduated from Judson. We were apart for almost six months because after Thomas returned from training, Gabrielle went to serve as a missionary in Southeast Asia. While there, Thomas surprised Gabrielle and proposed - in front of all the missionaries and their families (about 21 in all). He stayed with one missionary family for the rest of the week while Gabrielle stayed with another. After returning from Asia, Gabrielle went to work at her alma mater as a recruiter and waited for Thomas to finish at MMI. We were married in 2006.
After getting married, we lived in Marion while Thomas finished his undergraduate degree. Once we finished, we moved to New Orleans. Thomas is continuing his education at New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary, and Gabrielle is nearly finished with her Master's in History from the University of New Orleans. Thomas is the pastor of Bridgedale Baptist Church in Metairie, about four miles outside New Orleans. We have no children, yet, but we do hope God will bless us with them!
Future plans include Thomas completing his Army Chaplain trianing and Master's from NOBTS. Gabrielle is hoping to find a job in her field, but in the meantime she has started organizing an Oral History business for American churches. More info to come soon!
