It took a Hurricane--Final Edition

If you remember, at the start of the summer, I found out about the closing of the college I graduated from. I wanted to write a tribute to the place that I called home for three years of my college experience while also detailing how I arrived at CCC as well. Tonight is the final installment of said story. Tonight's story isn't about buildings or classes or the debts I incurred getting my education. Tonight's story is about people. People were what made Clearwater what it was to me. So, tonight (mostly because I just cannot get to sleep--its teacher training week at work and my mind just refuses to shut down) I want to tell you about several people and how God used Clearwater to bring them into my life. Linny: The way I met Linny is one of my favorite stories. It was a Sunday morning. Almost everyone on campus had already left to get to church. Being that I was one of the lucky few to have my own car, I was planning to drive myself to the church I was going to visit that week (since I had yet to pick one, officially). Before walking out the door, a girl from a neighboring unit came over. "Hey, so I was wondering if you could do me a favor," She asked. How bad could this really be, I thought to myself. "Ok, sure, what is it?" I offered back. "Well, see, everyone in my unit has already left for church and one of the girls in my unit has this toe that is infected. I don't know, but I think she needs to go to a walk-in clinic. No one else with a car is still here. Could you take her?". Now, being more reclusive that an old cave-dwelling hermit, the idea of taking a complete stranger in my car, for an undetermined amount of time, and being obligated to fill that time with small talk, shook me to my core. However, I am also a chronic people-pleaser.... so naturally, I said yes. Thank the Lord I did. It was on that day, driving a total stranger to a walk-in clinic, for an infected toe (most random injury of the year award goes to....) brought me one of my dearest friend. As an added bonus, it also introduced me to her sister who also became a dear friend. Lin and Julie were in my wedding. We were roommates from the next year and every year till graduation. When I got married and lived in town, they came over on a weekly basis for "family dinner" (which was always spaghetti because it was easy and also cheap... ha ha). When they moved back home after graduation, they called when their family came to Florida for vacation and I came for the day to catch up. They were among the first people to know that Joel was going to be born. They spent countless hours shopping, coffee drinking, laughing, secret Christmas party throwing, birthday surprising and the list goes on and on. What great friends from such a weird story. Julie: One of my favorite memories with Julie was the time we decided to dye her hair. This was not an uncommon practice in the dorms, in fact most of the desk chairs in the dorms bore the tell-tale marks of hair dye drips down the backs of them. For whatever reasons, we convinced Julie to trade her totally perfect blonde hair for a new shade. The problem was, none of us were really very good at dying hair to begin with. In the end, Julie spent a day or so with nearly pink hair. I felt so bad. She cried. I took her out to coffee to try and dull the pain. In the end, we asked a professional and she suggested stripping the hair, but warned us that it would be very damaging to the hair. Cue insane practical joke/payback. I went to my R.A's apartment to talk with her about something and Lin came to get me. When we started walking back to the unit, Lin told me that Julie's hair had started to fall out in clumps and she was crying hysterically. I fell apart. I just knew she would never speak to me again! How happy I was to find that she still had all her hair, but it was restored (albeit with a little bit more of a reddish hue to it) to its former glory. Never again became my motto when it came to hair color after that. Ryan: Of all my college stories, this one is the most insane and yet it is my favorite one to tell. I first met Ryan in Bible class. Being an "Arnold" at that time, my seat was at the front of the class, first row, in fact. Ryan, being a "Withee" was all the way at the back. My first recollections were that he was the loud, opinionated boy that sat in the back... and that would have been the end of it, except that one of my friends was going to be attending the Christmas formal with him... so our paths began to cross more frequently as they hung out from time to time. While all of that was happening, I had officially discovered that my very first dating relationship had ended. He and I had met when we were in high school and were very good friends. But, since I was not permitted to date till I was in college, no real attachment formed prior to that. So when I started college, we officially started "dating." We had dated during my freshman year, but most of that relationship took place long distance as he had been deployed to Iraq. When I started at CCC, the relationship was pretty much on its last leg anyways. After a few painful phone calls, I was once again alone. Since I had never dated before that ONE relationship, I was pretty unsure of how the whole ritual was supposed to go anyway. Well, my friends decided that I really should not go to the Christmas banquet alone. They decided to set me up with someone. So, a few weeks before the banquet was to take place, I found myself on my very first "first time" date. He picked me up and took me out for dinner so we could get to know each other and decide, I guess, if going to the banquet together was going to be fun or straight up torture. That first dinner was enough to clue me in that this guy was a strange one. Over pizza, he wanted to know when I thought I would want to get married, how many kids I would like to have, if I thought social drinking was acceptable (cue foreshadowing music and lighting since that's what he found himself "politely asked not to return to CCC" for)and my life story... over pizza (I do have to say, it was REALLY good pizza... which ought to tell you that the pizza was the only highlight of that date because I really don't remember much else except that I was really glad the date was over by the time we drove back to campus). However, I was stuck at this point because I had already said I would go to the banquet with him... and being a chronic people pleaser, I felt like it would be rude to not go with him now. So, the plans were finalized. I would go with "Pizza boy" and my friend would be going with Ryan and a fun time would be had by all--except probably not me and "pizza boy." The only snag in the events of the evening would be after the banquet was over because the "unwritten laws" of Clearwater demand that after the Banquet everyone MUST stay dressed up in their fancy attire and go bowling, or white water rafting, or laser tagging, or out for coffee or SOMETHING to prolong the fun and make it seem worth it getting all spiffed up. After the banquet was over, everyone in our group would be going out for coffee, but my date, had gotten himself in trouble and was campused (basically grounded). Long story short... at the end of the banquet, my friend and I traded dates. Like a trooper, she stayed behind with grounded boy and I went out with Ryan (with Linny acting as our official chaperone as we were not old enough to date "alone" off campus yet). The rest, as they say, is history. Eventually, "pizza boy" left CCC and Ryan and I continued to date and eventually get engaged and here we are... married for seven years. CCC was more than buildings, as I said. It was more than the life lessons I learned in the classrooms and in the dorms. It was more than the work-study program. It was more than the endless coffees I made in the café or the cheese I scraped out of the nacho machine at the end of a work night. It was so much more than all of that. It was the people. It was the friends and life long bonds I created while I was there. Many of those bonds continue to this day. When I turned 27, my parents and hubby wanted to do something BIG for that birthday (it was my golden birthday because I turned 27 on the 27th). You know who they flew in for it? Yeah, Lin and Julie!!! A full five years after I had graduated and left CCC. I think, in a way, that's why the legacy of that place won't die. It does on with us. We still text and call. We still know when the other ones are having a struggle. I know I have prayed for them when I knew they were going through a storm in life. THAT... those relationships and bonds....THAT is CCC. It keeps going on as long as we carry on with loving and caring for the family we met there. Boy, I am so thankful God sent that hurricane to Pensacola at that EXACT time. It made me uncomfortable. It shook up my world and my plans. It brought me to something bigger and better. It took a hurricane to get me to CCC... and I am so thankful.