Ted and I have a rather unique story and meeting one another through Catholic Match was truly providential. Ted had previously tried a number of dating sites and met a number of women, but he could never seem to find a lady who was ready to settle down and have children. He wanted to meet someone who valued family and would not mind raising one in a rural setting since he had recently built his own house near his childhood home.
I had been discerning religious life and was in formation with a community of sisters for several years before God made it clear that professing final vows was not what he was calling me to do with my life. I had no idea if marriage was my vocation, but I joined Catholic Match out of curiosity. A friend of mine had met her husband through the website a couple years earlier. I didn't really expect to meet anyone immediately and had no serious intentions of getting married anytime soon.
I missed living in the country as I lived in a more rural setting as a child, and I related to the comment on Ted's profile that he wanted someone who would not hate living in the country. Ted and I chatted a couple of times and talked on the phone once or twice before agreeing to meet, but I didn't tell him I had been in the convent at first. Our first date was really sweet. We met in a neutral spot for dinner and drinks, went on a long walk, and ended the night by sitting on some bleachers by a ballpark and talking under the stars. He was so adorable, and I joked with him when I called my friend at 10:00 pm to let her know he wasn't a psycho ax murderer. He told me later is was the best first date he had ever gone on and knew from that night I was the girl for him. I liked him a lot but having recently left the convent I wasn't as sure of marriage yet, but I really liked spending time with him. We were raised similarly and had so much in common!
On Ted and I's second date I confided in him about having been in the convent and he indicated his sister had googled my name and thought I may have been. It made me laugh because he had been nervous about meeting someone who would judge him for not knowing as much as she did about the Catholic faith since it was a Catholic dating site. Little did he know he would end up dating a former sister!
I am a campus minister, so we had all kinds of time to hang out during the summer even though we live about 90 minutes from each other. When school began though it was more difficult because I work 2nd shift including Sundays, and he works 1st shift at his job. It has been so very hard to hardly see one another, but some couples have it much worse. At least we had the chance to spend several nights/days a week together during the first couple months we dated. We are both in our early thirties and as we cared for one another more and more, we knew we couldn't take being apart all the time for very long!
Ted proposed to me just two months after we began dating in his front yard of the house he built in the country. I was totally not expecting it to happen that day though I knew I loved him and wanted to marry him. He sat down his cooler from work and got down on one knee, and obviously I said YES! I had only been a member of Catholic match for a few weeks before I met Ted. We are both very honest and forthcoming even though we are introverted. We knew what we wanted, believe marriage involves selfless love and sacrifice for one's spouse and family, and spent a lot of time talking about what was most important to us. He is a wonderful guy and I am so glad that God kept me in the convent until I could meet him and that he never gave up looking until he found the right girl for him! We will be getting married on May 28th, 2010!
