Joey Speaks On How He Knew

Wedding Anniversary Date: December 10, 2000

How he knew his wife was the one for him:

“I remember the first time I saw my wife, my best friend worked in the same office she did and was going to set us up on a date. I had just come back from playing golf and walked into the office and and my best friend had her come in to talk to him just so I could see her. She had no idea who I was....yet. I had not dated or gone on any dates really for over four years due to the fact that my last ex-girlfriend had cheated on me for the 2nd time and told me this on our four-year anniversary. Needless to say, it took a long time to get over it and so I still honestly was not looking when my best friend told me about his co-worker---my future wife.

I remember the first time I saw her and thought 'Well, guess the date won't happen...she's way out of my league'. She had long hair, beautiful eyes, and looked like a younger Dana Delaney, who I find to be HAWT!! So I thought 'Well, I'll at least show her a good time and see how it goes.'

So we went on our blind date---April 1st of all days---and it was a group date to the Old Spaghetti Factory. I met her there and the rest of her co-workers, including my best friend and his wife, met there as well and we ate and talked. Later, we played laser tag and then I walked her back to her car and asked if I could call her again. I took it slow since I didn't want to ruin it and plus didn't think she was interested in me.

I called her over the next couple days and then we went out several times. We basically ended up inseparable. I was in college and living with my parents to save money, and she was working and living with her parents to save money. So either I would go over to her house or she would come over to mine and we pretty much became inseparable. Neither of us had mentioned marriage to the other, but both sets of parents kept asking us when we were going to get engaged.

Now mind you we met in April, and by August or in September of that same year we had set our wedding date for that December. Now I know God had His hand in it, because she is way out of my league by outer beauty and more importantly inner beauty. I am not the most poetic, not the most eloquent, not the most romantic, but I am the luckiest man alive to have married my dream girl. God truly works in mysterious ways. We will have now been married nine years this December and have three beautiful children.”

What he loves about her mind: When it comes to my wife's mind, what I find so attractive is she's got fight, she's independent, she doesn't hold back what she thinks, she's her own person, her own woman, and that is so sexy.

What he loves about her body: My first attraction to my wife was of course her beauty. She looked at me with her big almond shaped eyes, and sparkling smile and my heart jumped...then sank, because like I said before, she was so beautiful that I knew I had no chance. But she saw something in me I didn't.

What he loves about her spirit: From what I saw where she was walking with God to where she is now is just amazing. I had grown up in the Church and thought I was a good Christian. She never claimed to be in any church, yet she showed me a better example of what a Christian is than I had seen in anyone I dated. She was so caring, responsible, loving...the list could go on. And now that she is not only my wife, my lover, but the mother of my children, there is nothing that shows you more about a person than how they treat their children and the love she shows our children to me is a clear example of how God's love is toward us: unconditional.

Joey's advice to single men about marriage:

"First off let me state that the advice I would give to a single guy is coming from a guy that was still a virgin by choice up until age 25 when I married my wife. Marriage and sex to me were both sacred and for me to have sex just to have sex or just to satisfy a need/want was not something I was going to let myself do. In today's world, that may sound prudish or be laughed at, and even in my own church of peers that were my same age, I'm sure I would have been more of the exception than the rule. However, it was both a personal choice for me physically and spiritually.

Now let me get to the advice I would give a single man from a Christian perspective. Trust in God, don't get discouraged if you are alone. God does have a plan for you and wants what is best for you. I firmly believe God will lead you to the one He knows you are the best match for. Notice I didn't say perfect, because no matter how great any marriage is, there will be rough spots, hard times in some area of your marriage. But a marriage built on love, respect and the knowledge of knowing that no matter what happens we are in this together. A marriage built on that foundation is nearly impossible to break.”