My partner in this thing called life

Behind every good man is a great woman.  And this is true.

Today's blog post is about my partner--where we've been and where we are now.

I met her my junior year of college and she intrigued me.  I was finally focused on academics (and not  bull riding) and it was in an upper-division finance class that I met her.  She was the lone girl in the class and I admired her from afar but never introduced myself.  One day while talking to our professor I made a comment about my rodeo career.  She overheard this conversation and for some reason she was intrigued.

Later I found out she was interested because she had a sister--a barrel-racing sister who loved rodeo. She thought I could be the perfect match for her sister--a smart guy, a business major, and a cowboy to boot.

Jenny tried to set her sister up with me but nothing ever developed and the following semester Jenny and I shared a business policy class together (I a finance major and she an accounting major) and as fate would have it, we were placed in the same group for this class. Due to the nature of this class we would spend a lot of time together, along with the other two members of our team.  Although we respected each other, our relationship did not develop into anything more than a growing friendship.

I graduated from college one semester ahead of her and I moved about three hours away to pursue my mortgage career while she remained at school to finish her final semester.  It was during this time that something more serious started to develop.  As the old saying goes, distance makes the heart grow fonder.  While she should have been studying for tests and I should have been preparing for my work day, we were instead discussing every topic under the sun for hours on end (via cell phone discussion-texting wasn't even on the scene yet).  I started to visit on weekends and only left at the very last minute in order to be at work promptly on Monday morning.  I slept but my heart was awake. --Song of Songs 5:2

Jenny and I when we began dating

Graduation time came for her and we had to figure out where this left us.  She had worked at a CPA firm throughout college and her boss made her an offer to buy into his business.  But she knew that her college town was not where her heart wanted to stay.  After a couple of months of trying to figure out the next step, we moved to the Fort Worth area together.  Many are the plans in a man's heart, but it is the Lord's purpose that prevails. --Proverbs. 19:21.

She started her new job as an accounting professional, and I continued to work as a loan officer.  I began my cold-calling.  (Not knowing anybody in the area proved to be a little difficult when you are in sales.)  It was an exciting but stressful time.  We believed in ourselves and in each other and we pushed forward.

I worked.  She worked.  After about six months we were on our feet. We bought our first home, a gorgeous but modest one-story and moved in on Thanksgiving Day.  We celebrated with lunch at Denny's and then went home to unpack.  Fortunately there wasn't much to unpack and we were left with time to beam with pride at our new purchase.

I worked from our {new} home office and diligently aimed to provide great service to my clients.  I also became licensed to sell homeowners insurance and very often I provided homeowner's insurance to my mortgage clients.  In the mean time Jenny was working many hours, especially during tax season.  We were proud of what we were doing--proud of the life we were building.  The following fall after the Thanksgiving move-in, we were married.  Inscribed in my wedding band: A Deal's A Deal.

As I grew from home office to executive suite to professional office building to high-rise, Jenny put her mind to work as well.  She worked as a public accountant, a real estate investor and agent, an insurance agent, and a mom.  So many times she debated whether or not she should come work with me in the mortgage business--whether it be as a loan officer or an accountant or even a personal assistant.  But over and over she decided it was better not to work together at the mortgage company.  From what we had seen from other couples working together, there could be some serious downsides.  We didn't want to ruin our young relationship or create work tension.  But no matter what, we always supported each other in our work endeavors.

Time passed and I worked and worked and worked, and in the midst of this we had children.  Made friends.  Coached sports teams.  Experienced heart-breaking losses.  Emotional roller coasters.  Growth.  A removal of selfishness.  Closeness to God.  Purchased a larger home.  Traveled.  Loved
deeper.  Good times.  Together.

Jenny and I with our family

Life was great.

And then I told Jenny, "You know what, babe?  It's time for a change."   She knew I needed a new dragon to slay, and she fully supported the subsequent alteration in my career path.

And so began the succeeding chapter of our lives: Xcel Lending. A wife of noble character is her husband's crown. --Proverbs 12:4

Welcome to my blog, and my company, Xcel Lending.