I spent 25 years of life praying for the man that God had set aside for me. Years of tears brought me to my knees wondering if "he" was really out there--a man who could really love me for me. After graduating from Texas A&M University in December 2007, I moved to the DFW area to teach. I chose DFW because I thought that I could surely meet someone in a large city full of people. Turns out that was not true. I was never happy in DFW. Luckily, I was only there 6 months before my next opportunity arose.
My little brother, Joe, called one day in February 2008 to tell me that UIL districts had been realigned and the Eastland Mavericks would no longer be playing in the DFW area which had been so convenient for me. They would now be playing the schools around the Abilene area. I immediately emailed one of the vice-superintendents of Abilene ISD to tell them that I was bilingual and needing a job. FIVE minutes later I received a call from AISD and we set up interviews for the following weekend. I visited 5 schools and interviewed with 5 principals. Within two days, I have job offers from several schools. I was drawn to Fannin Elementary and became a Fannin Cheetah in August 2008. I took the place of a teacher who had retired. It occurred to me that maybe the 6 months in DFW was just a holding tank. The Lord needed Mrs. Curtis to retire so that I could take her place as the Kindergarten Bilingual teacher. During our first Kinder team meeting, I discovered that my team was amazing! I knew that these ladies would become dear friends. Through a series of God-driven connections, I met the man I would later marry!!
Here is a more detailed story if you are interested...
In high school, I was a region officer for an organization called FCCLA. One of my fellow officers became a great friend of mine. She was from Blackwell, TX; the town where my grandfather was raised. After HS graduation, we lost touch.
Six years later (which was August 2008), I began teaching at Fannin Elementary in Abilene, TX. One of my fellow Kindergarten teachers told me she was from Blackwell. I asked her if she knew Kammie Lisso and she said, "Kammie's my sister!!" We both screamed and were so happy to find this connection. I got Kammie's number and we instantly became friends again!
Kammie Gunn and Kallie Collins -- The sisters from Blackwell, TX
After a few weeks, she wanted me to meet her boyfriend, Jeremy. So, a Saturday trip to the Lake Sweetwater sounded like a great idea. She said Jeremy was also going to have a friend there... and he was single! Kammie clarified beforehand that she was NOT setting me up on a blind date because she had never met this guy before. Well... we arrived to Nolan, TX on September 27, 2008. I gasped... he was a redhead! And I have a thing for redheads! He was funny and charming. I spent the afternoon watching him get tossed about the lake on an tube behind the boat.
After the lake, we cooked DiGornio Garlic Bread Pizzas (which are very sentimental to us, now!) and we played Wii Bowling and Wii Golf until 8 am the next morning!
DUN-DUN-DUN-DUN!!
Then, at 9am, Tim flew to Iowa. Yes, he left me and flew to IOWA! Therefore, the first 6 weeks of our relationship was spent getting to know each other over the phone, which was actually quite a blessing. I picked him up at the airport 6 weeks later and we had our first kiss. Yes... my leg popped! I knew you were going to ask that! :)
Basically, we have been inseparable ever since! Thanks Kammie and Jeremy!
WHEN WE GOT ENGAGED February 24, 2009
HOW IT HAPPENED Tim told me to head to Sweetwater after school and don't ask any questions. I was also told to wear comfortable clothes. He know that if he hadn't have given me this command, I would have worn a dress! :)
So after school, I changed clothes and headed to Sweetwater. Half way there, he texted me and asked what I wanted to drink from Sonic. I thought... oh, my heavens... he wanted me to wear comfortable clothes and he's getting me a drink from Sonic... HE'S TAKING ME UP A WIND TURBINE!!
So I continued driving and in a few minutes he calls back and says, "Take exit 249 to Farm Road 1856." So... I did and who was waiting for me on the Farm Road? My Tim! As I pulled up behind him... he sped away! I took that as a clue to follow him. So I followed him a few more miles until we pulled into the Picnic Park/Boat Ramp at Lake Sweetwater. The exact location where we first spent our first day together. He backed his truck up to the lake and then brought me my Sonic drink. He had ordered our favorite pizza from Pizza Hut and we had a little Pizza Picnic on the tailgate of his truck... complete with a dessert pizza, too! :) After we ate, we sat there watching three ducks dive and play out on the lake. We had a few good laughs and then just sat there in silence, with the warm sun and the strong breeze on our faces.
After about 30 minutes of letting our pizza settle, he took my hand and led me down the bank to a tree. He said, "Kristin, I love you and I love your family. This tree reminds me of us. It is two seperate branches that share the same foundation, they come together as one. And if you'll notice, this tree has several little branches, and I hope that one day soon we can make our own little branches to add to our tree. I can't think of two better people who make a perfect match, than you and me. I believe that the Lord made us for eachother and has great plans for us. There is no one that I would rather spend the rest of my life with, than you. So, I already know the answer to this question, but ..." (He got down on one knee) "Kristin, will you marry me?"
I was crying, as you can imagine, and I said "Yes! Yes! Yes, I will marry you!"
Oh... did I mention that he put a HUGE ROCK on my pretty, little finger! :)
Then we hugged and kissed... and re-experienced our garlic bread pizza! ;) Haha. What a perfect proposal for a perfect couple!! :)
I only had a few months to plan the wedding... but don't worry... I secretly had everything planned already! :) Our wedding was exactly what we wanted. We wanted our wedding to represent our separate personalities. Some would say that I am a bright, chipper person. So our colors were bright and chipper! Tangerine and Lime Green represented me well. Tim is a down home, good ol' Texas country boy. So we had our wedding at our church, Leon River Cowboy Church. There were sunflowers, mason jars, hay bales, boots and cowboy hats! It was one of the greatest days of our lives! As wonderful as it was... we couldn't leave soon enough! We wanted to get to Cozumel, Mexico! Our first week as a married could was spent on the beach and in the ocean... it was perfect!
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