Our Story
This is kind of an involved story. I'll give it to you in four parts.
The first meeting.
The spark that didn't have a chance (that time)...
Matthew and I met the first time at the rehearsal dinner for my best friends wedding. I was Chrissy's Maid of Honor and Matthew was one of Donovan's groomsmen. Chrissy and I have known each other since elementary school. Matthew and Donovan had worked together in Disney security before Matthew got a job with Reedy Creek Fire Department as a 911 dispatcher.
We both liked each other and Matthew had even programmed his phone number into my cell phone, which I found out when he called me later the night of the rehearsal dinner and my phone had his name in it. I certainly hadn't put it there! The day of the wedding things were hectic as usual the morning of and we spent a lot of time just getting things done for the wedding, him with Donovan and me with Chrissy. So during the reception I find out he's there with a date! Off limits as far as I'm concerned though he definitely spent some time flirting with me I was a little confused. Turned out they were just friends but I was not aware of that at the time and this is pretty much where it ended. Stay tuned for part two...
PS I'm standing next to the bride and Matthew is at the end of the men's side in the picture.
Meeting number two
Still not quite there...
So fast-forward a little over a year later. Chrissy and Donovan invited us both though separately to a Christmas Party. This time we manage one official date and one last minute meet after work at ten o'clock at night at Perkins. The date was very nice dinner at Fridays then miniature golf a few days before Christmas. I kicked his butt, though he has on occasion hinted that he let me, but I don't think so.;p Then one night about a week later we were both getting off work about the same time so we met at Perkins and he brought me a flower in a little vase, it was very sweet. As we parted in the parting lot he said he'd call me. Well he didn't.
In about April I get a text message from him saying something along the lines of owing me an apology. Ya think? I made an off hand comment about assuming aliens had abducted him. He sent another message with his days off and told me to call him. As if!
Meeting number 3
Third time's the charm...
Okay this part of the story will start off sounding different from the others; it's for dramatic effect I assure you for those of you who don't know it already.
Jennifer and Megan had been friends for a long time and were attending a church service at the church Jennifer had been going to for awhile and she had gotten Megan to start going. They bumped into Matthew at the service who had actually introduced Jennifer to this particular Church Service. After the service they went out to a bar to hang out and play pool. Matthew had known Jennifer for a while so he had asked Megan where she worked. At the time she was a lifeguard at Disney's Port Orleans, Matthew mentions having dated a lifeguard coordinator for the Yacht club. Megan found this interesting because she had once worked at the yacht and Beach club as well and asked whom? Matthew didn't want to say whom so Megan started guessing. She went through all the names she could think of until there was only one left. She said "Kristen?" Matthew surprised said yes. Well, Megan and Jennifer found this extremely funny. They took a minute to laugh before Megan says," that's my sister!" Matthew felt like sinking through the floor.
So they decide to call me. Megan calls and tells me she has someone who wants to talk to me and puts him on the phone. He got on and asks if I knew who it was. I suspected but wasn't sure so I said no and he told me. Then he wanted me to come meet them I told him I was busy. (I was watching the Tony awards) Megan called me back a few minutes later and wanted me to meet them I said no he had been a jerk to me and we hung up. A few minutes after that I received a text message from Matthew saying something like, "well how are we supposed to work this out if you won't talk to me?" What!!! I was so mad and yell about Matthew to my roommate, Amy, and she said are you going. I was but only to be mad at him in person! Well I was for all of about 5 minutes. The next day Matthew, Jennifer, Megan, Amy, and myself went to the beach and we've been together ever since.
The Proposal
Matthew and I decided early May 2007 we wanted a vacation for a few days so we took some days off toward the end of May to head down to Key West. Matthew insisted we do a sunset cruise as we had when we had take a Disney cruise 15 months before. I had no idea he had a ring let alone was going to propose. So we had found a nice little rental with a private jacuzzi online and headed down south.
We had the sunset cruise which we had also booked on line the second day of our stay. When we got on there was a very nice couple also from Orlando on the cruise and he had brought his mountain dulcimer and was playing through out. I do have to say Matthew was acting strange. I had seen him talking to the captain and the couple while I was taking pictures but at the time didn't think much of it. About two thirds of the way he got up and started talking and the man with the dulcimer starting playing Somewhere Over the Rainbow. I can't remember everything Matthew said though I wish I could. My heartbeat was so loud I think it may have drowned him out for a few seconds. However I definitely didn't miss when he asked me to be his wife. Well as you can see from visiting our wedding web site, I said yes!
