In 2012, Katie and I reconnected at a wedding (now my groomsman!) and I approached her for a dance late in the night. We had both graduated from the same college a few years back and went to the same church and fellowship but ran in very different circles. Earlier in the day I had made a challenge to myself that I would ask the prettiest, available lady to a dance that evening. I took full advantage of the groomsman theory and approached her. Sensing that she was on “high alert” against any guys making a move, we danced a little, talked a little, and went our separate ways.
The next day at church as she was driving out of the church, I waved her down and figured it was now or never. Keep in mind that at this point Katie lived in LA, and I was in SD and the chances of seeing her weren’t very high. So I asked her if she’d allow me to take her to dinner some time. At which point, she replied “that’s interesting…“, looked at me with a puzzled look and agreed.
Fast forward ~10 months and Katie and I had gone on a few dates in LA, Irvine, and SD and things were going fairly well. One of our friends (now Katie’s bridesmaid!) was getting married and Katie started dropping hints like “my friends are starting to ask…what are we?” and “what should I say if people ask if we’re together?”.
Now any rational male mind would immediately think, “she’s fishing for that relationship status“. I figured I’d score some brownie points by not sidestepping the question so I decided to lean in and ask right then. I’d preferred to do it in person but since the conversation was going there, I didn’t mind.
“Katie, let’s make it official. will you be my girlfriend?”, I asked.
To which she replied “That’s weird…”
Despite the awkward response to such a romantic gesture, she agreed and over the next few years, Katie and I would go through a lot together. We had our ups and downs. Our communication styles and personalities meshed and clashed at the same time. It wasn’t until Katie would come down for her social work masters graduate program that we had a real shot to build a solid foundation for our relationship.
Through those times I’ve discovered the most kind, beautiful and caring woman. One who truly believes that every life matters and devotes her waking hours to the poor, marginalized, and the mentally vulnerable. We’d talk about our futures and begin seeing each other in it.
Soon it became clear we were ready for the next step but as you’ve seen so far in this story, the best laid plans of mice and men go often askew.