Tom and Mandy's Story

Mandy and I met in the summer of 1997 at Summer's Best Two Weeks, a Christian sports camp in Ligonier. We were both counselors that summer. Mandy went to the camp as a camper from when she was 7 years old until after her senior year in high school. When she went away to Penn State for college, she became a counselor for the camp. This was my first summer at SB2W. I found out about it through a friend at Virginia Tech, where I had just graduated with a BA in Economics and Math. We met and started talking because someone was saying that Wayne Gretsky was a better hockey player than Mario Lemieux. Can you believe that? There is also a dispute about the actual first time we met. Being a guy, I can't remember the very first time that Mandy and I met-that's typical. Mandy says that the first time we met was up in the woods behind the soccer field, building the tunnel for the camp obstacle course. She says that she was trying to tie the cover for the tunnel to some trees, and didn't know which knot to use, so I jumped in and "saved the day." She thought I was pretty tough for knowing all those knots. What she didn't know was that I had just learned those knots only a few hours ago. Ha! Through some other things going on at camp, we got to know each other throughout the summer. We learned how each other felt about certain things, such as friends, God, and similar interests. However, at the end of the summer, we both went on with our separate lives as planned.

Mandy went back to PSU for her senior year, while I went to Denton, Texas to be a part of the Young Guns Discipleship Program at Denton Bible Church. While I was in Denton, and Mandy was at PSU, we would talk every once in a while on the phone. One of my roommates in Denton, Eric Beckman, even wrote to Mandy to encourage her during the Dance Marathon at PSU, and I put a little note in the letter. Mandy and I would also talk on the phone and email every once in a while (which I initiated), but neither of us thought about the other as anything but a friend. Well, maybe a little bit!

It wasn't until the following summer, in May 1998, that we really started to see each other as more than friends...

During the summer, Mandy and I both returned to SB2W. We got there early because of Ruddy's Week, Training, and Orientation, and started to talk a lot. We would sit with each other at meetings, breakfast, lunch, and dinner. She saw things in me that she wanted in a man, and I saw things in her that I wanted in a woman. These qualities were built up in us, not only by our own desires, but by our own study of the Bible. We still had our own plans for the future, but those plans would soon include each other. I had plans to go back to Denton and live at The Hangar, the youth ministry building at DBC. Mandy, on the other hand, had plans to attend The University of Pittsburgh School of Law.

During the first 2 week term, known as First Term, Mandy and I went on a date on our day off. Well, we didn't know it was a date until afterward, but it was a date. Actually, I made a brilliant observation when we were walking back to the car from Beam's Rock. Mandy said to me, "If we're not careful, people are going to think we are dating." And I asked, "So, is this a date?" Mandy said, "I don't know." And I said, brilliantly, "Well, the question isn't is this a date, but do we want this to be a date?" Mandy again said, "I don't know...what do you think?" I said, "I think I would like it to be a date." So long story short, we decided that it was a date. After that we went to "The Italian Oven" and discussed what that meant. We talked about how a relationship is not just a "casual" thing for convenience, but it is a serious thing. I mentioned that I was ready to "settle down," and find the one girl meant for me. I was hoping at the time that Mandy would be that one. As I would find out later, she was. I'm actually surprised that I didn't scare her away, but I didn't. The Bible teaches that dating or courting, as some people call it, is not something to do just because. It teaches that there are very specific roles in a relationship, that there are limits in dating, and that it is not something to take on lightly. Mandy and I talked about this, and still she did not run. Isn't that amazing?

The next term at camp, Mandy went away to the beach with her family, and I stayed at camp. I wrote her a letter every night before I went to bed, so when she got back to her home, she had 5 letters waiting for her. When Second Term was over, Mandy and I spent the weekend hanging out, and on that Saturday, July 18, 1998, we DTR'ed. For those of you who do not know what that is, it stands for "Defined the Relationship." From there on out we were a couple.

As for the plans we had after the summer, we went on with them, but with each other. Mandy visited me in Texas, and I came home to Pittsburgh for some weekends. It was tough, but it was good for us. We really learned how to communicate with each other, which was great because if we hadn't, the relationship would have ended. We had a great time talking on the phone and over the internet. We used Microsoft's Netmeeting, and bought cameras for our computers, so that we could type, talk, and see each other. We called them "dates," and some people in Denton laughed at me for having those "dates," but the teasing was worth the investment. We learned a lot about each other being separated, but I'm glad that in May 1999, I came home to Pittsburgh.

When I returned, Mandy continued law school at Pitt, and I found a job with a local company, ECSI. We continued deepening our relationship and, on February 3, 2001, Mandy and I returned to the area where we got to know each other so well, and I proposed to her at the gazebo in Ligonier, PA. Obviously, she said "Yes" or else this web site would not be here. We were married on July 7, 2001 with a beautiful God glorifying wedding and a great celebration followed. That is a day neither of us will ever forget.

That is just the beginning of our life together. Take a look at the rest of our site to learn about us, catch up on what is going on in our lives, or enjoy memories that you may share with us.