Happily, Ever After

Anna and I saw each other for the first time at an informational meeting I was hosting for the mission trip to Malawi that I was helping to lead. Our first conversation was in the interview, after Anna applied for a spot on the trip, and well ... let's just say, the interview went pretty well. After Anna left the interview, I looked at Ben B., who was also sitting in on our first date ... I MEAN interview, and said, "She's perfect." He asked me suspiciously, "For the trip?"

After finding out I was on the Malawi team, we started to have team meetings and allocated time for us to get to know each other. Little did I know, Aaron was trying to get to know me a little more, in particular. He planned an all-team movie night on the day I was supposed to leave for Christmas break, so, of course, I had to call home and let Mom know I would be home a day later. Then he ended up sitting next to me by "accident," and we talked through the entire movie. I had to keep it cool because I still wanted to make sure I was going on the mission trip for the right reasons, and not for just some boy.

I obviously had to make my move eventually. I also had to make sure I wasn't using the trip to get to her. There was a lot more at stake than just my pride. I was risking a bit of awkwardness for the whole team if she said no. So when I did finally make my move, I already knew what she was going to say. I had some of my "inside sources" confirm she would say "yes."

I was sitting in class when I saw that I had gotten a text from Aaron. He asked me out for coffee, but anyone who knows me at all knows that I don't like coffee. Luckily for him, I do like chai. We set a time for him to pick me up after class the next week. We really didn't know much about one another, but even if we had, it still felt like we had known each other our whole lives. After the coffee shop, we went to the airforce museum a few minutes away to just walk around and talk for a little longer before he dropped me back off at my dorm.

Anna and I had already been to Malawi after just a month of dating, and I already knew. I knew when she took every opportunity to help those around her. I knew when she would give me her last pretzel from the bag she got on the plane. I knew when she would talk about her family. I knew when I could talk to her about anything I wanted to, and she would just listen. I knew when I saw her eyes could make the sun brighter and my name sweeter. That's when I knew she was "the one."