Tall Tales
Herein lies a collection of stories widely believed to be true, though the veracity has at times been questioned. Read at your own risk!
Olden Days
Before There Was "CJ and Katie"
We don’t actually know when we met. We’ve analyzed, guessed, thought about, guessed some more, slept on it, and altogether given up on ever finding out a definitive answer to this. It is a vain hope, I know, but there is a chance that a reader can solve the age old mystery of when we met. If you figure it out, we’d love to know! We have far too few facts in this matter, but we’ll share what we know.
- CJ was living in Mountain View with Luke (the best man) during the time period from 2006 to 2008
- Katie moved to Mountain View in November of 2007 and began attending Peninsula Bible Church (PBC), where Luke was also attending at the time.
- At one of the various social occasions that arose in that group of friends, we were introduced to each other, and over time, found that we got along well and continued to stay in touch and become good friends.
The rest is a mystery!
How We Met
In a Whole New Way
As the years went by, we maintained a good friendship, seeing each other infrequently, but enjoying each other’s company when we met up with other friends.
In January of 2011, we had the opportunity to celebrate the joining of Luke and Katie Sanwick in marriage. CJ was the best man for the wedding, and Katie was “on staff” to help out with some photography.
As part of the festivities, we joined with Luke and Katie in celebration on January 28th in San Francisco for a casual get-together with a good number of their friends. When Katie came down the stairs, CJ said “hi” and Katie swooned and fainted into his arms. Well, that’s not an entirely true story. Actually, the only true part is that CJ said “hi!” and that Katie had a spark trigger that there might just be some interest. Getting to the swooning stage took several more months!
A couple of days later, on January 30th, Luke and Katie were married in the hills outside Pleasanton. The day was a success, and during the reception, Katie came and joined CJ for a bit of conversation, opening with a delightful pick up line: “Well, since I don't really have anyone else to talk to...” They shared conversation for a while, but CJ later learned that what he should have done was to take Katie out on the dance floor. His skill at reading between the lines continues to improve to the present day!
The same spark that had triggered in Katie now triggered in CJ, though it took months to burst into the flame that it later became.
Keeping In Touch
The Wondering and Wandering Months
Over the next several months, we continued to keep in touch, but didn’t openly pursue each other. Katie would claim that is a stupendous understatement!
Chat conversations turned from minutes into hours as we grew closer together, learning more about each other, and beginning to reach beyond being “just friends.”
Katie went on a two week missions trip to Ecuador in March and April of 2011, and upon her return, CJ pursued Katie about getting together for a meal to hear more about the missions trip. We weren’t sure then whether to call it our first date, though we certainly look at it that way now!
In addition, we began to watch a TV series with Luke and Katie, squeezing four of us onto a couch each week. Even in this tight space, Katie still couldn’t get a read on whether CJ was interested or “just being nice.” Despite her best attempts and frustration, CJ kept his thoughts to himself, and “we” continued to grow quietly closer.
Together at Last
(About Time!)
In the weeks to follow, we enjoyed several meals together, often spur of the moment. CJ even invited Katie out dancing with a group of friends. For those who know us, this is certainly a role reversal!
Though much encouragement was given at that time, Katie never did have to finalize a decision on whether or not she would join on the dancing evening. Unfortunately, CJ had to cancel due to a sore throat that also kept him home from work that day.
After much stewing on Katie’s part (“What am I doing?!”), Katie offered to come by with dinner that evening, and after much stewing on CJ’s part (“What do I do now?!”), CJ accepted her offer. Katie brought over dinner, which we both enjoyed, then we settled in for a movie. One movie turned into two, and it became clear that evening that our affections were mutual.
A couple of days later, as conversation crept into the wee hours of the morning, we finally concluded a good long discussion on the topic of “So are we dating, or sort of dating?” Needless to say, we were dating.
The Proposal
Rings and Things
The full moon glowed bright over a cool winter’s eve in Mountain View. It was the ninth of December, a day that was soon to be recorded into our history forever. A knock rang out at the door, and along with a gust of cool air, CJ strolled in.
After conversing for a time, CJ suggested that we could take the opportunity for a walk. After a little resistance, Katie agreed to come out on the walk, but only after making sure that she had enough layers on to stay warm in the freezing sub-arctic (to hear her say it!) weather outside. As they began their walk, CJ took a moment to collect his coat from the car.
During the walk around the nearby Rengstorff Park, CJ drew the conversation back to a special moment that we’d shared earlier in the week, and steered Katie toward a bench that had been special to us, having shared some of our deepest conversations there, and even our first kiss. (As an important aside, on the walk home after our first kiss Katie commented, “You know you just kissed me back there, right?”)
We paused under a nearby lamp and took a moment to stare up at the full moon and just be close. CJ said, “Let’s be together forever!” and Katie replied “OK!” At that moment, time slowed down as CJ said, “No, really” and reached to pull the ring box out of his jacket.
CJ got down on one knee, and said those all important words, “Will you marry me?” Katie replied “yes” and cried, and said “yes,” and cried, and said “yes” and cried some more. She somehow had the presence of mind to ask “You know you just asked me to marry you right?” After a moment, the ring was placed on Katie’s finger, and we shared our first few engaged moments together on the nearby bench before strolling back together, hand in hand, hearts forever entwined.
