We’re getting married!

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From Reagan's POV: "Hey, wanna grab coffee? Or tea... Or water? Or you can watch me drink coffee lol." Who would have thought receiving one message could change my life forever? But sure enough, after reading that message, my whole life changed in all the best ways. Talking to Karen on the phone for the first time I was completely taken away. I was smitten by her grace, maturity, wisdom, intelligence and character, and I continue to grow in admiration of her amazing qualities the longer I know her. She is such a beautiful soul with such a good heart, and I could not help but feel deeply attracted to her just talking on the phone. We had so much in common and saw the world in such similar ways. We both love the Lord and want to live our lives walking in faith with him. We are both educators with a passion for learning and exploring the world around us. We both want to live in the country and do homesteading hobbies like gardening and raising chickens. We are both old souls with an appreciation for old things, from old houses to learning from the wisdom of the more seasoned saints at our churches. Rushing to my truck as soon as I got off work so I could talk to Karen on the drive home quickly became (and still is) my favorite part of the day. I have never enjoyed talking to someone so much, and I felt a special connection with Karen from the beginning. Our first date was at La Vita coffee shop in The Heights. I remember being embarrassed because I was so excited meeting her that I forgot to take my sunglasses off until she reminded me. When we sat down to talk, conversation came so easily. Talking to Karen felt like talking to an old friend I had known my whole life. We had such deep conversations at that coffee shop, and wasted no time talking about all the important things, from religion, to politics, to aliens, to making references from The Office. I remember the exact moment I fell in love with Karen. She was sitting across the table fidgeting with her empty cup. She apparently discovered that if she squeezed the cup she could launch the lid like a projectile into the air, across the room, or at me! The first time was an accident, but then she kept doing it, and we just started laughing. We laughed for so long, so deep. It was such a pure, wholesome joy, and in that moment I fell head over heels in love. After finishing our coffee, we went back outside and sat in my truck and talked for about eight hours. I didn't want it to ever end. The conversation just kept on going, from one topic to the next as we explored one thread after another with each other. When at last she had to go, I asked if we could take a picture together, because I had a feeling that someday we would want a picture to look back on the day we met. That feeling turned out to be right.

From Reagan's POV: Our second date was in Galveston, due to our mutual love of the beach. Before going to Galveston, I had told Karen a story called, "The Star Thrower." In the story, a boy is walking along a beach where the waves had washed countless starfish up onto the dry sand. Urgently, the boy throws as many starfish as he can back into the water. A bystander mocks him, saying that there are too many starfish and he will never make a difference. Unfazed, the boy picked up another starfish and tossed it into the waves. "It made a difference to that one," he said. We talked about how working in education is like the "Star Thrower" story. We can never change the world by ourselves, but we can have an impact on the individual lives of the people around us. We decided that while in Galveston we would set off on a quest to find a pair of starfish to keep on our desks as a reminder. However, the starfish had to be replicas, as using a real dessicated starfish would defeat the purpose of the story. We laughed and had so much fun going hand in hand to every souvenir shop in Galveston asking specifically for, "fake starfish." While finding fake starfish proved to be surprisingly difficult, the pure joy and love we found that day will last the rest of our lives. Space will not allow me to write down here all the wonderful things that happened that day, nor indeed would I.The sun was out, and the water was so pretty that day, but the person I was spending the day with was even more beautiful. By the end of the day, my face was sore from smiling so much, and it was definitely one of the happiest days of my life. I knew for sure that day that I had met the person I was going to marry.

From Karen's POV: Reagan and I met for the very first time on our first date at a coffee shop called La Vita Coffee in the Houston Heights. Reagan chose it because we both love coffee—and because it was the perfect halfway point between where we lived at the time: Reagan in Willis and me in Katy. Our date was set for 2:00 p.m. I remember it so clearly. Reagan arrived first and was waiting for me in the parking lot. When I stepped out of my car, I saw a very tall, very handsome man wearing sunglasses. He reached out his hand to shake mine and introduced himself—and that's when I heard his name for the first time. I shook his hand and said, “Nice to meet you! Will, right?” Reagan had told me his name was Will before we met. He’s very private. With a little smile, he replied, “Actually… it’s Reagan.” “Oh! Like the president,” I said His full name is Reagan William Reed, so technically… he didn’t lie. As we walked around the building trying to find the entrance, I noticed he was still wearing his sunglasses. He was already deep in conversation with me, and I realized I hadn’t seen his eyes yet. I stopped him and said, “Don’t wear sunglasses. I want to see you.” He took them off with a nervous laugh and the sweetest smile—and that’s when I saw them for the first time. The most beautiful blue eyes I had ever seen. Inside, Reagan ordered a hot coffee and I ordered a cold brew. I was immediately impressed not just by how well-spoken and kind he was, but because he paid for my coffee without hesitation. A true gentleman. We sat at a table near some books and talked… and talked… laughed a lot... and talked some more. Hours passed without us noticing. When I got a little cold, we decided to sit in his truck and continue our conversation there. Our first date lasted nearly eight hours. The coffee shop closed and it was dark outside. I was supposed to attend an event that evening, but halfway through our date I texted my friend to say I wouldn’t be making it—Reagan had me completely captivated. We talked about everything under the sun. We were open, vulnerable, and understood each other in a way that felt rare and unexpected. Even then, I remember thinking how strange and wonderful it felt to be so comfortable with someone I had just met. It felt like I had known Reagan for a very long time. I felt safe. Somewhere in the middle of sitting in his truck, talking and laughing for hours, I fell in love with him. By the end of the night, we were holding not just one hand but both. We’re very traditional (and very classy), so we didn’t kiss on the first date… or the second… or the third. I'm telling you, Reagan is a true gentleman. He did give me a kiss on the cheek at the end of our second date in Galveston. Reagan is the most romantic man I've ever met. He has made every little detail of our relationship to special and fun. Back to our first date... I didn’t want the night to end, but I had my daughter waiting for me at home. Before I stepped out of his truck, we promised each other something sweet and old-fashioned: that we would write letters to each other with pen and paper. Reagan smiled and said, “You can be my Abigail Adams.” He walked me to my car then stopped me and said, “I want to take a picture of us before you leave. I want to remember this.” We took several photos on both our phones. Later, Reagan told me, “Our grandchildren will want to see the picture of the day we met.” He also saved the receipt from our coffee—something he never does—just so he could always remember that day. Reagan called me while I was driving home… and we’ve been talking ever since. When I pulled into my driveway that night, I said to myself "I think I’m going to marry that guy". The next morning, I woke up to the most beautiful text—more like a love note with a good morning. Reagan still writes me a love note every single day. He is my dream come true.