Connie and I(Brian) met on Catholic Match (then known as St
Raphael.net) in April of 2003. I was living in Moses Lake, WA and knew
that what I was looking for wasn't in my hometown (I'd been looking
locally for the previous ten years). Connie was living in Boise ID and
was having similar luck (bad) in finding the right person.
I
contacted her first, soon after she joined Catholic Match (at her mom's
request....she reminds Connie of that all the time!). Our profiles held
clues that led each of us to think this could be something special.
We
shared emails at first, and soon were sharing phone calls. I was a
little more reserved than Connie about the possibilities, as I had
already had a couple dates via the Internet, and knew while there were
common values and interests it didn't mean there'd be that spark. We
finally met face-to-face in June 2003, when I flew to Boise.
Within
the first five minutes Connie assumed I was disappointed in her (she
was wrong) and things got quiet. Fortunately, being the trooper she is,
she decided to make the best of it and we spent the day together
hiking, playing catch at the park, going to an outdoor play, and really
had a great time. We went to church together the next day and then I
had to head back. That visit was the start of something special, as
Connie found out when she flew to Moses Lake the next month and the
anticipation we both felt leading up to that weekend was overwhelming.
There were sparks flying all over the place!
We proceeded to do
the long-distance relationship thing with phone calls, emails, and
weekends together almost every month. Since Connie was teaching in
Boise, we decided to wait until the school year was over before having
her move to Moses Lake. As the move date drew nearer, our excitement
grew greater...and so did her family's anxiety as they didn't want her
to move without a ring on her finger. Not one to disappoint the future
in-laws, I proposed to her on her birthday in front of her whole family.
Connie
moved into an apartment in Moses Lake in June, and the last six months
have just flown by. As I write this, we are both feeling the stress of
making the final wedding arrangements for our Jan 29, 2005 wedding. And
we are both looking forward to the two weeks in Hawaii that will follow!
This
is truly a success story. But it is also a story of patience (I had
been on Catholic Match for two years before meeting Connie) and hope,
given to us both by God. Connie and I both pray for all those singles
that are searching and we have included you in the prayers of the
faithful at our wedding.
