My Sweet Husband Jonathan

After Eviana was born, I really didn't want to date anyone for a while. I wanted to be cautious with whom I had relations. After Eviana was about 8 months old, I started branching out in the dating world. I ended up choosing completely wrong and fell into a rut of unfaithful guys who didn't appreciate me in the least. I found myself in a deep depression of loneliness, self-doubt, and almost felt unworthy of anyone. I would cry all the time, shut out a lot of people, and shut myself in. I didn't think I would find anyone who could love me AND my daughter. I had a history and "baggage", as people like to put it, and someone would have to willfully choose to join me. I had a child and I had emotional issues that carved deep gouges in my soul. They would have to tear down my facade of strength and independence and deal with who I really was inside.

I have a life history that I choose to never share publicly, but I seemed to be the kind of girl who gave and gave and gave even though I received nothing in return. I was afraid to lose the person that I cared so much about so I stopped expecting things in return and just tried to be perfect so they didn't want to leave me. This, though, did not seem to work either. I started dating one person in particular, right before I met my husband, that I devoted myself to entirely. I loved him deeply and was disrespected by him all the time. He wanted a relationship with me without a title. It was a love/hate game for the two of us and it seems to have always been that way. We would love each other completely one week and the next we were beating each other up with hateful words that cut like a knife to the core of our hearts. It seems neither one of us wanted to hurt the other, but ended up doing so anyway. I'm a forgiver and mender. I don't like being angry with people and in the end I just want a friendly relationship, which is probably why I have a good relationship with all my exes except for two. After this man, I found Jonathan. Or should I say God showed him to me and I to him. Apparently I had met him several times, but I honestly only remember actually seeing him once before. It's like God clouded my eyes until it was the right time.

It seems comical now, the events leading up to the point at which I finally noticed Jonathan. I had been jogging with Jonathan's cousin, Marcus, and Emily (Marcus is an ex-boyfriend who had become a good friend at this point). Marcus had a major asthma attack and lost consciousness, so his mother called Jonathan. Since Jonathan is a firefighter/paramedic, he knew what to do in that situation and helped us get Marcus breathing on his own. After that, we all started talking and invited him to come with us to celebrate Emily's birthday. We sat by each other during the movie and across from each other during the birthday dinner. He thought Eviana was adorable and played and talked to her during dinner. I found myself becoming shy. I remember thinking, "Why am I feeling shy? I don't like him! I don't even know him! Do I like him?!" He was so sweet and a complete gentleman, and I thought he was very cute.

Marcus's mom, Jill, decided to try and hook us up. It turns out Jonathan actually felt a little connection, too, so he called me and asked me on a date. It was the night before my 22nd birthday, September 16, 2008. He took me to a movie we both thought was ridiculous, Tropic Thunder, and then we had some coffee and conversation at Starbucks. I found myself feeling absolutely comfortable with this person I hardly knew. I opened up to him and he to me and everything was effortless. Around midnight we parted ways and went home. The next week we found out more about the other and I started to realize that I really liked him. A week after our first date, he asked me to be his girlfriend and we shared our first kiss. The longer I dated Jonathan, the more qualities I found in him that I wanted in a husband. He had his faults, as I did, but he stood for more than most of the previous men I had dated. He was a devout Christian with strong beliefs. He also loved my daughter as much as he loved me, and Eviana took to him very easily and loved him as well. Eviana always seemed to have that spirit of knowing when someone was good and she thought her "Jonanen" was wonderful.



The Engagement Ring



Jonathan and I started talking about marriage and the possibility of it. He had been searching for his wife for a long time and, secretly, I hoped that I was her. Even though we talked of a life together, I wasn't sure Jonathan was going to ask me. Every time I thought he was going to, he didn't, and my mom and I were beginning to wonder if he was. He always told me that he wanted to propose when I least expected it. Before Valentine's Day, Jonathan went into Dallas with a friend of his and I found out he was doing a lot of shopping. So, I verbalized that I thought he might ask me on Valentine's Day since he was "shopping" all over the place. Well, apparently that was what he was doing, but he found out my suspicions and devised a way to get me off his trail. He called me right before he was going to head home and told me he had everything planned for Mother's Day and he was excited about it. This was a good move on his part, because, of course, I thought he would ask me on Mother's Day instead. I was off his trail and he continued with his plan.



It's Official!

When Valentine's Day rolled around we headed into Flower Mound and had an evening planned with two other couples. We went shopping for a dress for myself earlier in the day and then got ready for the evening. His dad took pictures of us on our first Valentine's Day and then we headed out to dinner. We went to a fine dining restaurant, Good Hugh's Fire Pit Grill, which is sadly now closed. The food was expensive and magnificent. We opened and tasted 7-8 bottles of wine between all the couples and you don't even want to know what the tab was! Lindsey, now my sister-in-law, asked me to come to the bathroom with her when we were finished eating our main course. While we were in the bathroom, Jonathan was telling everyone at the table the plan for his proposal. I just want all of you to know I was completely oblivious. I had no clue what was going to happen that night. We came back out to the table and Lindsey said she wanted to take a picture (she was really recording the event that was about to take place). We all scooched in close and Jonathan was sitting strangely, so I looked over at him and he was down on one knee. He said, "Trisha Mathes, I love you. I always have and always will. There's no doubt in my mind that you are the woman I am suppose to be with for the rest of my life. Will you marry me?"



Jonathan giving Eviana a ring to symbolize
becoming her Daddy



To which I responded, "REALLY?! HERE?! NOW?!......YES!!!" I told you I was in shock. I had no clue he was going to ask me, but he did and I was completely happy. I cried and couldn't believe that I was going to marry this wonderful man and be with him forever. When we came home a few days later, it seemed God had already told Eviana Jonathan would be her dad. When we walked in the door, she ran to me and gave me a hug and then ran to Jonathan and called him daddy for the first time. It brought a tear to my eye and I knew I was with the man God intended for me.



Jonathan and I got married on November 13, 2009 in Fort Worth, TX at the Marty Leonard Community Chapel. I became Jonathan's wife and Eviana became his daughter. We honeymooned in Colorado for a week and it was amazing! Jonathan and I have had trials and tribulations, but through it all we stand strong together and I couldn't ask for a better partner in life. He is a wonderful husband and father and I don't know how I ever lived without him. Jonathan and I wanted to have a baby soon after we got married. About a month or so after our wedding, I found out I was pregnant. I can't tell you how excited we all were, including Eviana. What a blessing it would be to show our love through a child.

Our New Family