how we met, part 1

Jumping into two link-ups because they're fun ones. I'm late with the blogging everyday one, but oh well. I'm always just a little short of the perfectionist bar, so this is nothing new!



I feel blessed that Joseph and I met when he was valiantly saving my life.

But I digress.

I didn't want to go to the college I did. I was a self-proclaimed snob in high school. I thought I was better than everyone else. I got into a couple of pretty prestigious universities, thanks to the grace of God (I didn't see it back then!), a good SAT score, and a good number of AP classes. Unfortunately, those universities sure don't give scholarships like state schools do.

Tech gave me a good scholarship, was in my state, and was where God was leading me. I sure didn't see His Divine Plan in all this.

He did bless me, though, by sending a dear friend to the same college. Kevin was a friend of mine from high school. He'd remained a devout Catholic through high school and into college. He was the one who encouraged me to go to Raider Awakening. I told him I didn't want to go and he worked it out so that I didn't even have to pay - just pack and show up.

So I did. In line is where I met the man ordained by God to be my husband. A bee had landed on my shoulder. For those who know me and my numerous phobias, bees rank pretty high. I've never been stung and 28 years of not-being-stung builds up in my mind to a really, really painful experience. Who should sweep in to swipe the bee from my shoulder, but my future husband?

He recalls that I was wearing a hipster outfit. My hair was short and I was wearing thick-rimmed glasses. I think I had more fashion sense than that.

Clearly, Joseph misremembers how fashionable I was.

I remember him wearing a double horse pearl snap shirt. It's as bad as you're imagining right now. I think he was actually wearing an orange button-down, but when I think of college-Joseph, I think of that hideous horse shirt.

We talked. There was mutual attraction. And then we went our separate ways. We crossed paths a few times over the following three days, but retreats being what they are, we were busy and focused on other things.

As the weeks progressed, I remember only crossing paths with Joseph a few times, and each time, I was really attracted to him. And I was pretty sure he was attracted to me. But nothing happened.

For two years.

Nothing lined up for us to admit our feelings for each other. I had a crush on another guy and Joseph had his own crushes and girlfriends. He was a bit of a heartthrob in our little Catholic community. You see, his played guitar, was tall, and had a popular dad. He could dance and did, when we'd go out country dancing in a big group. One of a very small number of young men who actually danced. He dressed hipster-chic (also known as buying his clothes from a thrift store), which made him part of the cool crowd (he denies - whatever. Social outcast over here says he was in the cool group.). He had puppy dog brown eyes, spiky brown hair, was fun and hilarious, and was a faithful young Catholic man. Everyone wanted to go on a date with this guy.

He sometimes dances better than this. Sometimes not.

Remember I said hilarious?

Joseph recalls going up to me one night after a social gathering with the intention of asking me on a date. While mindlessly chatting about who knows what, another girl walked up to us and asked Joseph out. He accepted. And it was another year before we started dating. THAT'S how the first two years of our friendship went. Bad, bad timing in our minds, but all ordained by the Creator of all.

He knew we were two immature teenagers who needed to grow to love Him above all else. I truly believe that He protected our hearts from each other for those first two years and our friendship grew into something stable and deep.

But finally, finally, after two years, things lined up.

I had fallen pretty hard for Joseph, but he had a girlfriend who was also an acquaintance of mine. I remember going into a little side chapel before Holy Mass one day and kneeling down to ask Our Lord to take away any feelings I had for him. I could never do anything about them and I would never hurt my friend. I asked for peace and since I've never been super good at letting go of my own will, I added the little prayer that, "if we are meant to be together like I wholeheartedly think, would You just make him come to his senses and realize it? ThankyouverymuchandI'llneveraskYouforanythingagain."

It was while I was kneeling there that Joseph knelt next to me and asked for a prayer or two because he had just broken up with his girlfriend.

First thought - whoa, that was fast.

Second thought - an incredible sense of peace. At that moment, I knew, as crazy as it sounds, that I would be marrying this young man. And I'm pretty sure he knew he'd be marrying me.

We weren't even dating here and we did the prom-photo-underneath-the-garland thing.

The next part of this story is way more interesting, but first comes love, then comes marriage, then comes babies in the baby carriage, and then comes grocery shopping because apparently children need to eat.



And for the record, Joseph still has that horse shirt.

See? Ugly horse shirt.