Our Story
Johnathan and Karly... love at first click...
Karly's side :)
Yep, it's true... internet dating actually works sometimes! :) JJ and I were both registered on a dating website (whose site shall remain nameless since they aren't paying royalties.. haha), he took one look at me and couldn't resist! He sent me an email sometime in May 2008. He made some weird captain joke (since that's what I do in the summer) so I thought he was a little weird, but hey... a good lookin guy like that... i was still interested. We kept in touch a little bit over the summer, exchanging a few emails here and there. We were both a little preoccupied... I was moving to Texas, he was moving to Arizona... so nothing really happened then. Once we were both settled in our respective new homes, I remembered that we had left things pretty unfinished, so I sent him a little note just to say hi... which he ignored! Can you believe it??? A week went by, and I decided to send one last note... to which he responded. :) He asked for my phone number... again... he had "lost" it... likely story right? ;) Anyways, he called me that night around 11 pm, and we ended up talking until around 4 in the morning... remember how Karly has a big girl job now and had to be at work at 8? Needless to say I was super tired, but glowing. Everyone at work commented on how happy I looked. I told them about this new guy... this tall, good looking, mormon, black, straight ice skating coach... they didn't believe me on the details first! We texted all day, and started talking on the phone two or three times a day. We talked about everything... everything! I knew within the first three weeks that I was falling in love with him and that this was the man I wanted to spend eternity with.
We decided to meet in person up in Utah... neutral ground. I was sure things would go great, but just in case, we both needed an exit strategy. It was really funny because a couple weeks before we were going to Utah, I was totally looking online at engagement rings... of course I didn't tell this to JJ though, I mean I didn't want to freak the boy out! The very next day he called me and told me he had a confession to make... he had been looking at rings online! I started laughing and confessed, and thus commenced the engagement ring search. Now I know what you are all thinking... that it was before we had even met, but I think I can speak for both of us when I say that meeting in person was just the last piece of the puzzle. We already had fallen in love mentally, emotionally, and spiritually, and with Facebook JJ had seen me at my best and worst (aka mission pics! haha). I got to Utah the day before him and painstakingly picked out a new outfit (with the help of a good friend... you know who you are) to dazzle JJ. I was so nervous, but the outfit must have worked because as soon as he saw me, his face broke into a huge smile, he walked right over, and without any hesitation, pulled me into his arms. He hugged me for a minute and then kissed me... that's another long story, but we will keep that one to ourselves. :)
That was it... I was hooked! We started planning the wedding that weekend! I even found a dress! My parents were a little skeptical, but he had passed the sister and best friend test that weekend we were in Utah. I promised we would take things slow and be very careful, which we have. We even moved the wedding back a couple months so we would have a little bit more time. I am the happiest girl around. I had always heard that "when you know, you know," but I never thought it was true... but I was wrong... so very wrong. I knew that this man would love and cherish me forever. He treats me with a respect I never knew was possible... I mean I saw it in other people's relationships, but I always picked real winners that made me feel less than. Not with JJ! His favorite activity is making me blush with the nice things he says, and I know that this is only the beginning of a wonderful, amazing life together. :)
Johnathan's take on things
Karly is right...internet did play a very important role in helping us find each other!!! Thanks goodness for the internet and technology....haha:) I was willing to search any and everywhere for that special woman to share my life with! When I initially met Karly online I had no idea how much this amazing woman had to offer!
I planned to move to AZ at the end of the summer (2008) and pursue my coaching career. I bought a motorcycle for the trip and had plans to visit Karly and other friends if time permitted while on my journey. Being that I was short on time I didn't even have time to call to say hello.
Ok, once in AZ, Karly & I reconnected. The first time Karly sent me a message, I didn't reply. You know how it is when you move to a new city always working and trying to get your business up and running! That was me, working 2 jobs and not really making time for anyone. Karly contacted me again and from the moment I replied there was something about her voice, her essence, her sense of purpose in life that I identified with. Let's just say we seem to always take the road less traveled...we like to do what we like when we like...haha. We talked and texted a lot until the time we first met in Utah. I grew more and more curious about this woman that I had gotten to know though our phone conversations and text messages. Nov. 22, 2008, I'll never forget!! That is the day it all became a reality!! The moment I saw her big beautiful smile I wanted to sweep this southern bell off her feet!! I knew that I would do anything to let her know how much I thought of her!! I felt like the luckiest guy in the airport that day!!
Once we met we were off on our first date!! I bet you want details, eh? :) I'll just say this...every guy should hope to have the kind of first date I had...haha! We started it off with two must haves for any guy…football and italian food! Karly did her homework on me and I knew I had better have my act together. We went sightseeing, dancing, to church, you name it we did it!! I had never before shared so much of my life with someone in less than 24hrs and had so much fun doing it. This is the definition of speed dating! ☺ As our first weekend together started to wind down I realized that I could never get enough of Karly and her lovely personality! And yes in case you were wondering…her body in one word...HOT!! I wanted to see her again as soon as possible!!
We were on the same page as to take things slowly, but there was a lot of excitement between us. We knew that we did not want to take more time than was reasonable to take our relationship to the next level. This meant me asking her parents first for her hand in marriage. Call me old, but that is how I was raised and Karly is so special to me that I would do it old school just to make her happy! Oh yeah, gotta have a ring! This is another long story that you'll have to ask Karly about:) I'm sure she'll tell you all about it!!!
Meeting Karly was the last piece to the puzzle or should I say the start of something really special that we all dream about. I never could have planned for or lives to come together this way, but the Lord always has a hand in all the miracles we receive! Karly is so right when she says "I will cherish and love her forever". My grandparents had 59 yrs of bliss and that is what I intend to give Karly! I'm so thankful for our families and friends in our lives that have helped us define who we are and were with us through our struggles and our achievements! I want you all to know because of you and your love for our well being we will forever love you! I love my angel, better known as Karly, I'm so blessed to have her in my life! Sweetie, I love you! And I can't wait to marry you!
Wedding Party
Krista Maurer
Maid of Honor
Krista and I are 23 months apart... not 24... so I have always been trying to catch up. Between February 12 and March 4 I was only one year younger instead of two! It was always a great three weeks. Krista has been one of my greatest examples. She was the oldest, thus making her mama bear #2. She paved the way for her sisters... and boy was it an uphill climb! :) She set that bar so high, and sometimes I didn't want to try. When I switched schools I thought I had a chance at my own identity... I wouldn't be "Krista's sister" anymore... then Krista switched schools too! We were "the Maurer girls." She graduated from BYU, she went on a mission, she started her career... all things I have done also, and I hope I did them half as well as she did. One day she told me something that totally changed the way I felt about our relationship. She told me I was her hero... she said that no matter how far I sink into that hole I have dug for myself (I have a hard time with wanting to learn lessons the hard way), that I never stop fighting to get out... I am always clawing my way to the surface... I am a survivor. Now one of the sweetest things I can hear is "Oh, you're Krista's sister," and I love it! One of the greatest lessons that Krista has taught me is to be independent... to forge my own identity... and I have... though I will never stop being "a Maurer girl," because that is my favorite identity of all.
Kaycie Maurer
Maid of Honor
Kaycie was, as I used to call her, our accident. I mean honestly, for six years we had this little family made up of Daddy, Momma, Krista, and myself. It was perfect... or so I thought, because when this new little creature came along six years later I wanted nothing to do with her. The thing I remember most about the day she was born is that someone curled my hair and I HATED it! I was sitting in the little kitchen area of my kindergarten class crying about it when Krista ran in and told me we had a new baby sister... I think it made me cry harder. For six years I had been the baby, and I just knew I would be forgotten. The day she came home from the hospital I refused to go with dad and Krista to get her, because I just HAD to go roller-skating with my friends. She was a cute baby, and I think I even liked her for a while... but then she started to grow up, and boy was I cruel to her. I hit her, I made fun of her, I don't think there was a day that went by without me telling her that I hated her. There were moments of kindness... mostly when I wanted something from her or wanted to play with her toys... hence being caught on video saying, "Kaycie, I'm having a tea party without you!" However, just as most things fade with time, so did those feelings of hatred. Kaycie helped me get my life back on track... she saved me from myself... she completes all of us. I didn't know it as a child, but I can speak for all of us when I say that our little family wasn't perfect before she came along... we were missing something, and Kaycie was that missing link. Kaycie keeps me grounded. She is very rational (which I am not) and always helps me see both sides of the coin. I know that I am the big sister, but I look up to her, and always follow HER example. She is, and always will be, our Kaycie-baby.
Jeremy Barksdale
Best Man
From the beginning when "Jer" was born it has always been a surprise as to whether we were going to get along...haha. I was the only child for six years and let me tell you I had no idea what it meant to have a brother, nor did I know how different our experiences in life would be! Jer is very smart and he excels at almost everything - except ice skating which he briefly tried and decided that it was not for him.
Growing up, we were in different worlds, which made it hard for our mom since we usually didn't play well together. But, when Jeremy graduated from high school, I'll never forget how happy our mother was and how proud of him I was also! That summer Jeremy came out to Cali where he was to relax before heading to college at NC A&T to receive his BA in Broadcast Production. We took a trip to Las Vegas and played hard for a few days! Having a younger brother became really fun! All those previous years when we argued seemed to disappear. Upon my return home from Cali, Jer and I lived together again and we had our ups and downs. I remember one night Jeremy went outside and turned off the power because I had the music playing too loud when he was trying to study! Jer went on to graduate with honors and returned to school to pursue his masters degree!! He is currently working toward his PhD at Virgina Tech.
My brother has been a blessing in my life even though we lived apart the majority of time. I'm so grateful for his example and couldn't imagine my life without him!!
Josh Blade
Groomsman
So I totally thought I was going to have to pull a "Made of Honor" and make Josh one of my attendants, but my fabulous fiancé said he could be a groomsman. Josh and I have been best friends now for almost ten years. We met freshman year at BYU because he was in my ward... even though he wasn't a member of the church yet. We hung out all the time, and kept in touch through our tough times when I was on one side of the country and he was on the other. He joined the church, I went on my mission, and when I came back we were closer than ever. We even lived across the parking lot from eachother so we wouldn't have to go very far to hang out that first year. I have even broken up with a boyfriend for my friendship with Josh. Sorry buddy, but if you ask me to choose between my boyfriend of two months, and my best friend of 10 years... did you honestly think I would choose you? :) So when JJ expressed an interest in getting to know Josh and being friends with him too, I knew he was the man for me! Josh has taught me a lot of things, but one that sticks with me the most is to feel good about myself. He would always get upset with me when I put myself down, and if a boy ever treated me with less respect than he thought I deserved, he made sure to tell me to get out of that relationship. It's been a decade of ups and downs, but one thing that has remained constant is knowing that I always had a best friend in Josh.
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