Where Are Tom and Carrie Now?
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Once upon a time...
You might remember a success story about a Texas native named Carrie, whose sister signed her up for CatholicMatch AND managed her profile and messages!
However, this admirably dedicated sister did not set up her first date with Tom in 2014. Carrie only saw his message when she was logged on to respond to someone else her sister had suggested. The last we heard from Tom and Carrie, he was looking for work in Texas, and Carrie was determined to let him propose on his own timeline.
Where are they now? Not waiting on a new job, that’s for sure.
Originally from Nebraska, Tom was no stranger to patience and intentionality. In his prayer time, he focused in on meeting someone close to home. (Heard that one before, right?!)
God slowly stretched him toward online dating to push his distance requirements, though. “I thought online dating was weird, non traditional and hard to connect online, but I found that my issues were just as tough in person or dating locally,” Tom explains. “So over time it ended up being irrelevant what method I pursued someone!”
He’d been a CatholicMatch member on and off for seven years before April 2014 rolled around, when he saw Carrie’s profile. “I first was attracted to her beauty, sense of humor, and personal conviction. What has kept me attracted to her is her sense of intentionality, her selflessness, and her affirmation of me!” Tom says, reflecting on the years they’ve now spent together.
He contacted Carrie first, asking what her goals for the week were. This helped him stand out, and Carrie, sifting through messages that her sister recommended, saw his note.
Carrie, for her part, was unsure about online dating too.
“I thought most people would put up a front to get your attention and then not be like that in real life,” she reflects. Through her sister, she had been a returning member for about three months when Tom’s message arrived.
After they started messaging, she noted how he was engaged in conversations, handsome, and didn’t take himself too seriously. Five years later, her favorite qualities about him include his supportiveness, hard work, and leadership in prayer.
After months of online messaging, phone calls, and then-newfangled Facetime, Tom flew to Texas in October to meet Carrie.
They had a picnic in a park in Denton, where Carrie remembers Tom getting sunburned as well as mild food poisoning.
“Which made it hard to get off on the right foot!” Tom laughs. He says it also made him vulnerable and gave them a unique connection. He agreed to Carrie coming to visit him in November, because God kept confirming his desire to pursue this relationship. They were both curious about their future.
“I liked him and our first date, and wanted to get to know him more,” Carrie reflects. Soon, they began talking about closing the distance between them. Tom’s family lived in Nebraska, and his job was in Catholic ministry. He knew, over time, it wouldn’t provide enough for a family to live on, especially if he wanted his wife to be a stay-at-home mom. (Funny, Carrie wanted to be a stay at home mom when she married and had children…)
Thus, Tom began looking for work in Texas.
From here, the story is all new!
Tom ended up moving to northern Texas in May of 2015. Very soon, he popped the question and Carrie was thrilled to accept his proposal! They set their wedding date for December 12th of 2015.
“It was difficult since we lived far from each other at the time even in North Texas but it also flew so fast because we were focused on our jobs, planning the wedding, and spending quality time as much as we could,” Tom says. They tied the knot in Arlington, Texas, at St Maria Goretti parish.
“It was wonderful and went too fast. Some parts were harder but it was fruitful. The highlights were marrying Tom with God and family,” Carrie says. She particularly recalls loving her wedding gown, and seeing her loyal now-pregnant sister in a bridesmaid’s dress.
They both agree the best parts of the day were sharing the joy with friends and family, and finally making their marital vows before God.
They soon made their home in Dallas/Fort Worth, Texas.
Within the next three years, they welcomed two additions to the family. Their son David is almost three, and their son Augustine is one and a half. They have a third on the way, due this October!
“Every time I put the toys or books away and the kids bring them right out and un-do what I just did,” Tom laughs. Kids brought some intense changes that were not always easy. “Having less time with each other and more time spent on a job to provide and kids to raise made attitudes tested a lot.”
Tom and Carrie describe the best parts of married life as spending time in prayer together and going on date nights.
Another perk has been planning for their children’s needs. Difficulties have been trying to get enough sleep with two little ones running around, sharing schedules, and budgeting. A unique struggle came into play when they first moved in together. They learned that Tom, as an introvert, did not “recharge” the same way as Carrie, who’s an extrovert. This made for some confusion in the beginning, but certainly did not deter them.
Marriage has been a wonderful blessing for both of them, and they couldn’t be happier with one another.
“Seeing Tom and being next to him daily is the best!” Carrie says..
“It was a good match!” Tom laughs, remembering where they started: just an inconspicuous message on a Catholic dating site.