I often reference my friend Megan. She was the inspiration for my monthly What I'm Into recap posts and she also offers insightful analysis of the stellar show Once Upon a Time. But that's just a drop in the bucket for why I appreciate her. I appreciate the way she approaches faith, parenting, and life in general. We may be close in age but there's much I can learn from her wisdom. I am thrilled to have Megan share her TIHWM story!

Our sorority house was actually a section of a dorm, and the freshman lived on the top floor and we tended to travel in packs. As such, I didn't know the upperclassmen all that well and I figured they couldn't possibly know me very well, either. So I was a little taken aback, you see, when one of them came bounding through our living room/lounge one bright and cold January day and said in passing, "I know this guy you should meet! You two have so much in common!"

I wrinkled my nose at my roommate and shrugged it off. A series of bad choices my senior year of high school had bled over into more hurt and heartache my first semester of college. I had come back for the spring semester with new resolve - no boys! no dating! no drama!

Ours was a small campus, however, and at the first meeting of my General Psychology class, lo and behold if that boy my sorority sister had told me about didn't just stroll right past my desk. And I mean to tell you, he walked right past with no acknowledgement that he might possibly know who I was. I rolled my eyes and sent out all the I'm-ignoring-you-too vibes I could muster. I had to admit, though, he was pretty cute.

My friends and I liked to go to the campus meetings of Fellowship of Christian Athletes. The fact that none of us were athletes never gave us a moment's pause; the music was good and the views were better and no one acted judge-y toward us because we were in a sorority (I'm looking at you, Baptist Student Union!).

One night at FCA in late January, that boy from my Psych class was the leader of the small group "huddle" I was in. Not only was he cute, he was also really well-spoken, and I found myself agreeing easily with everything he said. After FCA was over, I told my friend who wanted to set us up, "I think I want to invite Kyle to the Chi-Os in Cuffs party." <---- imagine lots of giggling

The next day, I was standing at the campus mailboxes, laughing and talking with a friend when Kyle walked by. He caught my eye and I - inexplicably, involuntarily, hilariously - I winked at him. He smiled and continued on his way, leaving me standing there dying 1,000 deaths of embarrassment. 

What had come over me? To this day, we laugh and tease about that wink, the wink of the Holy Spirit, we like to say. If not for that wink, he says he never would have had the courage to track down my phone number to call me and ask me out on a double-date with tireless matchmaker and her boyfriend. 

That first phone conversation lasted an hour. I hung up the phone and went into my suitemate's room where I threw myself across the bed and declared with a dope-y smile, "I think I'm going to marry that boy."

Our first date was at The Bean Counter, a long-since-closed coffee house on the edge of campus. A gentle February snow sprinkled snowflakes on us as we walked across campus to the intermural gym to watch the Chi Os play basketball (we won. I think). Later, we watched ER in his dorm room and when he dropped me off back at my dorm, I kissed him on the cheek.

That was - what year is this? - sixteen years ago this month. I can count on one hand the things on which we easily agree these days; it takes the rest of my fingers and toes to count the issues on which we disagree. Even so, we rarely argue. We still prefer dates that involve snuggling in front of the TV, and sometimes I find myself involuntarily winking at him from across crowded rooms. 

How can it have been that long ago? I look at that picture in the center of the lapboard I made him when we got engaged and I get all dopey-smile-y again. Such sweet and innocent and beautiful memories, tethering us in time, the beginning of our shared history, a glittery reminder that this is how we met.

For six years, Megan Tietz has written about faith, family, and natural living at SortaCrunchy. She married that cute boy with the big brown eyes over thirteen years ago, and they make their home on the windy plains of Oklahoma with their two daughters and lots of happy memories.