Ohhhh Hale Yeah - We're Getting Married!

So I was obviously single and had just enjoyed a late Friday night out with the boys. Feeling like I needed some recuperation, I decided there was no way in hell I was going out tonight. Immediately after I made this decision, I got a text from a friend telling me I needed to meet some girl that she was out with... and they’d pick me up in 10 minutes. “Nope, not happening I look like a trucker” I responded. This tiff went back and forth for a few minutes and finally I conceded, thinking, maybe a cold beer could actually make me feel a bit better. I threw on some clothes and locked the door behind me. At first I didn’t know which girl I was being introduced to, but it soon became apparent and it was, the quiet, shy, reserved girl in the back corner of the Prius who didn’t say a word the entire way to the bar (looking back, it's shocking, I know). Not feeling overly talkative myself I thought this was perfect. So I bought us a couple drinks, shot the shit, was lucky enough to come out of the encounter with a phone number and set up a real date for the next week.

It was an ordinary winter’s eve and I had dinner plans with a friend. Unfortunately (or seemingly so), as I was walking out the door, I received a last-minute cancellation and found myself all dressed up with nowhere to go. My roommate, not wanting my (rare) effort to go to waste, invited me to join in her dinner plans with her new-ish friend, Caitlin, whom I had never met. Although dinner should have been awkward, it quickly became clear that thanks to good wine and fun conversation, this night was going to exceed expectations. It was about halfway through the meal, during a discussion about the table’s various “relationship statuses” when Caitlin, who knew me for all of 45 minutes, turned to me and abruptly said: “Jess, you HAVE to meet my friend Tom!” Immediately, Caitlin texted Tom and requested–okay, DEMANDED–that he meet us for an after-dinner drink. Despite the fact that Tom had no interest in leaving the comfort of his couch (and admittedly “looked like a trucker”), Caitlin somehow convinced him to quickly shower, put-on respectable clothes and come meet this girl. Once again, I found myself in a situation that was bound to be uncomfortable; yet, a few short minutes after meeting, I was relieved to find myself engaged in effortless conversation. Although Tom was not necessarily my type on paper, he nevertheless piqued my interest, so when he asked for my number, with little to no hesitation, I gave it to him. For those of you who don’t know me, you should know that I believe everything happens for a reason, and this series of events is no exception. If not for the last-minute cancellation (shout out to Erin Lowe’s migraine), a kind invitation (thanks Moo Moo), and a persuasive and intuitive new friend (Caitlin, we have no words to express our gratitude), who knows if we would have ever met, but alas–on that fateful night–we did… and the rest is history.