The Happy Couple

Bert was born in Vance County Hospital, North Carolina, the son of Marion and Herbert, and brother to Clyde, Rick and Jesse. They moved very early in his life to Sumter, SC. There he lived in the same house for 18 years while going to school, playing little league, and attending First Baptist Church. He graduated from Sumter High School in 1992 after playing a year of football, three years of track, and two years of working in the Sports Medicine facility on campus. From there it was on to college at Anderson College in Anderson, SC. It was here he met his Best Man, William Rice Cook III. After graduating with a BA in Communications with emphasis in Speech/Theatre (no, that’s not spelled incorrectly) Bert bounced around the country for a few years, sometimes boom and sometimes bust. He’s held positions with Compaq, BellSouth and Coca-Cola, not to mention selling used cars, automotive coupons door-to-door, and waiting tables. In 2002, he moved from SC to Ft. Worth, Texas, (his mother’s childhood home) found a job and settled in. A little while later he met the love of his life, Vicki. Bert has worked in the tech support industry as a Systems Analyst for nearly 10 years now.

Vicki was born at Baptist Hospital in Oklahoma City, the daughter of Brenda and George and the sister to Annette. They moved to Newcastle when Vicki was 6 months old. There she went through many different phases….ballet, tap, tee-ball, softball, singing and playing in a Bluegrass band, singing Southern Gospel, hunting, and showing hogs and singing in the Newcastle High School FFA National Choir. She and her family attended the First Assembly of God until she was about 11, and then the Glory Promise Center where her family still attends. Vicki graduated from Newcastle High School in 1993, and then enrolled at Southwestern College of Christian Ministries (Southwestern Christian University) where she traveled and sang with the Great Life Singers (One Voice), and served all four years on the Student Senate. She graduated with a BS in Biblical Studies with a double major in Bible and Human/Family Services. While pursuing her Master in Human Relations at the University of Oklahoma, she worked at the corporate offices for Fleming Food in the test kitchen/lab and then at a Staffing Agency as a Staffing Manager. Vicki was on the path to obtaining her licensure for counesling (LPC), but during her program she decided that clinical counseling was not for her. She has however found her calling as a Forensic Interviewer.

Bert and Vicki met in 2003, ask them how and they’ll probably give you one of two versions. They dated long distance for over a year with Bert in Fort Worth and Vicki in OKC. Unfortunately the only promising job offer in OK was back on the road. Once again the happy couple was separated, relegated to dating on the weekends and talking on the phone during the week. After much prayer Bert was offered a job in-house, thus allowing the two to start their lives together after the wedding, in one place. That place being Oklahoma City. For their honeymoon, they spent a week on the island of Barbados

Both can recall periods of uncertainty in their lives when God’s plan seemed to make no sense or have any discernible direction. Now, looking back and examining the path of their lives they are more than convinced that God has been directing their paths to a definite point of intersection. They are anxious to begin walking the long and winding road together.

They have found a home, and are actively involved at LifeChurch.tv , North West Oklahoma City Campus.