* this post has taken me quite some time to write, hence the reference to New Year's Eve
As I was reminiscing this week about the day I told Aaron I was pregnant (New Year's Eve day 2011), I realized there are some stories that I would like to get down "on paper", namely how Aaron and I met/started dating, how he proposed, about our wedding, how I told him I was pregnant and Canon's birth story.
So, with no further ado, here is the story of how we met, as told by me. Maybe one day I'll get him to write out his side of the story.
It was January of 2010 and I had been living in New Orleans for about 6 months. Sally, the director of the Preschool at the church where I was working sent me a facebook message asking if I wanted to meet someone. Obviously, I said yes. She told me later at work that his name was Aaron and that he was the 5th grade teacher at St. Paul Lutheran school, where she was on the Board of Education. The Board knew that he had received an offer to become Principal at the school where he grew up in California and they were trying to get him to stay in New Orleans, so the obvious answer was to get him a girlfriend so he wouldn't want to leave, ha!
Sally gave Aaron's principal, Chuck, my information and I patiently waited for a phone call. After a few days, I finally got an e-mail from him inviting me to the French Quarter. We sent a few back and forth and finally planned to get together that Monday, MLK day, in the afternoon. I remember telling him in an e-mail that I would be in the car driving to Baton Rouge that Sunday afternoon at a specific time and he called exactly half way through my drive. Not sure if that was on purpose, but it made me think that he had planned ahead when he was going to call which I liked.
That Monday I rushed back to New Orleans (literally, I got a speeding ticket) and was ready at about the exact time he rang the doorbell. Of course, I made my roommate answer! At this point, I should say, for both of us, that we had actually done a little "research" on each other beforehand. I had looked up his picture on St. Paul's website (and, I should add, they were not great pictures) and he had looked up mine where I was working too. So, expecting him to look like his pictures, I walked out and was immediately taken back by his piercing blue eyes. I was very pleasantly surprised with what I saw :)
So, I can say a few things from Aaron's perspective at this point. Firstly, Aaron is a midwest boy at heart. Very down to earth, soft-spoken (until you really get to know him) and low-maintenance. His previous relationship had been with a midwestern girl, one whom Iwrongly picture more similar to a Duggar daughter than to me. He didn't really know much about me at the time, but because of some encouraging prayer times and conversations with people, he was kind of expecting to meet his wife....and expecting her to be like his previous girlfriend. Which I.am.not. This is where it gets interesting.
We headed out to the car, which he stalled out as we were pulling away because he was so nervous, and went down to the French Quarter. I had told my friends "we'll go down and if things turn out well, maybe we'll go to dinner." In Aaron's mind we were going to go to dinner, I just didn't know the plan. He had picked out a few places for us to go, Jackson Square and this historical toy shop are the only ones I can remember now. I do, however, remember talking a lot. And being really upfront and saying "You do know they are trying to set us up so you won't move to California, right?!" Well, that just took him super off guard - that I would just come out and say that. I remember walking around, and as Aaron will tell you, talking a TON and being a little controlling. (no surprise there!)
So we finally headed back to car. I thought we were having a great time and was hoping we'd go to dinner. He had decided pretty early on that I was not was he was expecting or hoping for and he was taking me home, probably to never hear from me again. On the way back to the car, we were talking about his decision about going to Zion or staying at St. Paul. One verse that a youth leader shared with me years ago was Isaiah 30:21: "Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, "This is the way; walk in it." I could tell that he was really stressed about the decision and the time deadline was coming up, so I shared this with him, hoping that it would be comforting.
Anyway, I think that was about the only good thing I did, because on the way home, despite my pointing out EVERY restaurant on the way, he dropped me off with no dinner. :(
He walked me to my door and said "Well, Katie. We'll be in touch." really intending to not get back in touch with me! However....I had other plans.
As I was reminiscing this week about the day I told Aaron I was pregnant (New Year's Eve day 2011), I realized there are some stories that I would like to get down "on paper", namely how Aaron and I met/started dating, how he proposed, about our wedding, how I told him I was pregnant and Canon's birth story.
So, with no further ado, here is the story of how we met, as told by me. Maybe one day I'll get him to write out his side of the story.
It was January of 2010 and I had been living in New Orleans for about 6 months. Sally, the director of the Preschool at the church where I was working sent me a facebook message asking if I wanted to meet someone. Obviously, I said yes. She told me later at work that his name was Aaron and that he was the 5th grade teacher at St. Paul Lutheran school, where she was on the Board of Education. The Board knew that he had received an offer to become Principal at the school where he grew up in California and they were trying to get him to stay in New Orleans, so the obvious answer was to get him a girlfriend so he wouldn't want to leave, ha!
Sally gave Aaron's principal, Chuck, my information and I patiently waited for a phone call. After a few days, I finally got an e-mail from him inviting me to the French Quarter. We sent a few back and forth and finally planned to get together that Monday, MLK day, in the afternoon. I remember telling him in an e-mail that I would be in the car driving to Baton Rouge that Sunday afternoon at a specific time and he called exactly half way through my drive. Not sure if that was on purpose, but it made me think that he had planned ahead when he was going to call which I liked.
That Monday I rushed back to New Orleans (literally, I got a speeding ticket) and was ready at about the exact time he rang the doorbell. Of course, I made my roommate answer! At this point, I should say, for both of us, that we had actually done a little "research" on each other beforehand. I had looked up his picture on St. Paul's website (and, I should add, they were not great pictures) and he had looked up mine where I was working too. So, expecting him to look like his pictures, I walked out and was immediately taken back by his piercing blue eyes. I was very pleasantly surprised with what I saw :)
So, I can say a few things from Aaron's perspective at this point. Firstly, Aaron is a midwest boy at heart. Very down to earth, soft-spoken (until you really get to know him) and low-maintenance. His previous relationship had been with a midwestern girl, one whom I
We headed out to the car, which he stalled out as we were pulling away because he was so nervous, and went down to the French Quarter. I had told my friends "we'll go down and if things turn out well, maybe we'll go to dinner." In Aaron's mind we were going to go to dinner, I just didn't know the plan. He had picked out a few places for us to go, Jackson Square and this historical toy shop are the only ones I can remember now. I do, however, remember talking a lot. And being really upfront and saying "You do know they are trying to set us up so you won't move to California, right?!" Well, that just took him super off guard - that I would just come out and say that. I remember walking around, and as Aaron will tell you, talking a TON and being a little controlling. (no surprise there!)
So we finally headed back to car. I thought we were having a great time and was hoping we'd go to dinner. He had decided pretty early on that I was not was he was expecting or hoping for and he was taking me home, probably to never hear from me again. On the way back to the car, we were talking about his decision about going to Zion or staying at St. Paul. One verse that a youth leader shared with me years ago was Isaiah 30:21: "Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, "This is the way; walk in it." I could tell that he was really stressed about the decision and the time deadline was coming up, so I shared this with him, hoping that it would be comforting.
Anyway, I think that was about the only good thing I did, because on the way home, despite my pointing out EVERY restaurant on the way, he dropped me off with no dinner. :(
He walked me to my door and said "Well, Katie. We'll be in touch." really intending to not get back in touch with me! However....I had other plans.
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