Jump of Faith

This is one of my favorite songs, and it's really what got me through a very tough part of my life.  I was living at home with my parents, and my four children.  What? A single mom of 4 kids having to head back home.  I had gotten out of a relationship that ended kind of abruptly, and my parents were in the perfect location.  I didn't have to pull the kids out of school or disturb their life too much.

I felt like I hit a wall.  I didn't feel that I could truly make it on my own.  I felt weak,and unable to stand again.  I wasn't totally in-love with the guy that I had just broken up with, but a lot happened.  A family pet died and really sent me into a spiral.  I needed to be strong for my kids and all I could do was throw myself into Zumba.

Finally after much talk with my ex-husband, I decided to go visit the country I left my heart in.  The Dominican Republic.  This is where I met him, and his family was still there.  It was kind of a scary thought to leave my friends and family behind to move to another country, but I felt that it was something positive for my kids.  My children would be able to learn the language, the culture, and get to know their grandparents.  I met their father in the Dominican Republic.

The thought of ever dating another Dominican made me feel sick.  Wasn't something I was going to do.. I saw myself going down there and spending time with my ex's family and doing a lot of dancing.  I was very excited, because dancing is a passion of mine.  Especially Latin dancing.

So here I go, I head to the Dominican Republic with my tax money.  Move in with the ex in-laws, and am shocked at how my life continues...

We arrived in the Dominican Republic, and we were so excited by the weather, the family, the friends, but not the language.  The girls were refusing to try and learn the language because they had each other to talk to.  It was ok, I figured they couldn't stay that way forever.

My kids were learning the culture that I grew to love many years before.  The bathroom outside never was a favorite thing of my children.  They would rather hold their pee, then use the bathroom outside.  We had to have a potty in our bedroom or else the kids wouldn't go to the bathroom. Two out of the three girls had urinary tract infections because of it.

There were ducks, chickens, turkeys, and other live animals at our home in the Dominican Republic.  The kids would be outside playing double dutch, jump rope, Jacks, and other great games with the neighborhood kids till after 11pm at night.  I loved watching them interact with the kids.

I met a few nice guys.. I gave them the time and got to know them, but didn't get much further than that.  I had vowed off Dominican men. 

One day I was online, and a message came across.  The guy wanted to know a little bit about me. He wanted to know which person was I in the picture.  He was cute, but I wasn't looking for anything but a friend.  Well in the meantime I did start to date another guy.  A man who was 11 years older than me, and a Doctor.  I told this online guy that I was not interested.. her persisted.

One evening we were online talking and we got into an argument.  I told him I was no longer interested in ever meeting him.  (Truth be told, I never had ANY intentions of ever meeting him!) He apologized asked me to give him another chance, we continued chatting.

Once again another argument broke out, and I said, "That's it! I don't want to EVER speak to you again, forget about ever meeting me, I'm done!"  I closed out the chat, and went to bed. 

Two days later I'm inline at a bus station.  I was buying a ticket for me and the girls to head to Santo Domingo, (the capital) to spend time with the Doctor I was dating and my kid's Aunts. 

As I'm buying the tickets a man said.  "Hello Jennifer!" I said "Hola!" and then said "How do you know my name." When he looked up at me, I knew who it was! It was the mean, rude, guy I had been talking to just 2 nights before.  Here I am alone with my 3 girls, and I have to get on this bus with this whacko.

For 3 hours I got to sit and listen to how it was Destiny that we were together there on the bus.  He was playing with the girls, and was so good to all 3 of them.  He loved playing with them and kept them entertained.  It wasn't such a bad trip, but I repeatedly told him I was with someone else.

Over and over he would ask me to come hang out, etc.  Finally I took him up on the offer and we had a great day together with the kids.  The kids remembered him from the bus and thought my "friend" was a lot of fun! 

The next day we went to an indoor park with the kids, and he was so awesome to the kids.  He was patient and stayed with me all day until the park closed so that the kids could have lots of rides! He was so good, but there was something about him that I didn't like.  He kept begging me to give him a chance.  I explained to him that I didn't like the way he talked to me.  He told me it wasn't fair.  He was never married and had no idea the "right" way to talk to someone, but he wanted to change that and could change that if I gave him a chance.

I figured I had nothing to lose.  I am so happy that I gave in and gave him a chance, as we fell in-love so quickly.  We have the most amazing relationship that anyone could ever ask for.  He treats me like a queen and does things for me that nobody has ever done.  He's learned how to talk to me, and is truly amazing.

One thing I totally love about him is that he's very creative.  We are both know-it-alls, and we always bunk heads because we know it!  Well, he's come up with a way around it so that we aren't always arguing or thinking one person is right over the other.  What we do is whoever "wins" gets smothered in 250 kisses.  This is just one of the examples of how creative and willing he is to make this work! He's changed so much for me, and I know it's from the heart!

So I've decided to live here indefinitely.  We love it here, and although we miss our friends and family, we feel it's best to stay here.  Life is good, and I've got an awesome job here.  On top of all this...

My kids are in-love with Jhonatan.  My oldest daughter has never liked any of the guys I dated.  She's liked them, but never LOVED them.  Well she said one day, "Mom if you and Jhonatan ever break up, my heart will stop beating!" That's when I knew Jhonatan was here to stay!  She totally adores him and loves the thought of us getting married so that he could be her father!

My two younger daughters love him too.  He plays with them and also has them help him in the kitchen, or with anything and everything they are doing! It's amazing to see them! The 4 of them just kill me how they are all together.  You would think that he IS their father!

Don't ever give up on life.  Life might throw some crazy turns in the road, but take them with ease that you will get to your destination.  You might not be headed where you think is the right place, but follow your heart and you will get there.

To be truly in-love is like nothing I have ever experienced before!