Our Love Story
It’s Valentine’s Day! When people ask how we met, so many moments flash through my mind and all I can do is laugh and say, “It’s a long story.” He tells them with a wink, “I got out of the friend zone!” It got me to thinking that there really are two sides to the story, and what better way to celebrate LOVE than to share both?
Kat on How They Met:
He went on a date with my sister. I recognized him while walking from my class, so I called his name and waved hi to him.
Jer on How They Met:
I met her on a street corner—L and 30th. This beautiful, gorgeous girl knew my name and called out to me. That never happens.
Kat’s First Impression:
We had a great first meeting, but when we ran into each other later he wanted us to be reintroduced because he didn’t remember my name. I took it as he wasn’t really listening or that he didn’t care. “If you don’t care to remember my name, why should I give it to you again?” I answered. Later that evening, he called me by the WRONG name. I didn’t forget that.
I took a class on Marriage and Family, and our teacher liked to do a spotlight on a new bachelor each week for fun. That particular week, our teacher chose to spotlight Jeremy though he was not in attendance. “If you haven’t been on a date with Jeremy, you’re missing out—he’s taken out every girl from all 3 stakes!” That was a lot of girls. I got the impression that Jeremy was a player, and resolved to be the only girl who never went on a date with Jeremy Lloyd.
Jer’s First Impression:
We had a good conversation, hit it off really well, and I knew I had to seal the deal. “Where are you headed?” I asked. “Mutual…” Whoa! (Mutual was for young teens.) Way too young to date, so I wiped her from my mind, wrote her off, and forgot all about her. Two weeks later she showed up at Institute and I asked her about her name.
Kat on What Happened From There:
As Jeremy started asking all of my friends out on dates, I started to wonder if he liked me at all, haha. I fully expected to shut him down if he asked, but as I got to know him I had a change of heart.
My friends had only good things to say about him. We were both on the Activities Committee at our Singles Ward in church, so we helped plan events and get to know people. His energy and warmth was contagious, and we became friends! He gave me rides to church and activities, we attended dances together, we’d have long talks and go out for hot chocolate late at night.
Jer on What Happened From There:
She got all offended that I had forgotten her name, and told all of her friends not to tell me who she was. I tried to find out by seeing where she sat, counting down from the names on the roll, and that would be her name! It turned out to be the wrong name, and she was even more offended that I called her the wrong name. And then she found out about my “reputation”. It probably didn’t help that I dated her sister. It was only two dates.
Kat on Their First Date:
So much for being the only girl who never went on a date with Jeremy Lloyd! 😉 Our First Date was going pretty well! We had so much fun laughing flying kites, he grilled and burned some fish for me haha, and when it got windy and he said he was cold I totally covered him with a blanket and rubbed his back and arms to keep him warm. I thanked him when he brought me to my doorstep, thinking maybe he’d go for a hug or even a kiss—but when he stepped closer, he offered me a very professional hand shake… 😳
I was so confused; I thought he liked me, but that hand shake left me second-guessing everything. Even though we had a good time together, maybe it was just that—fun. Or maybe it wasn’t fun at all—maybe it was actually a bad date, and he didn’t like me, and me rubbing his back was gross to him and he was just being polite to me so he wouldn’t hurt my feelings. Ego bruised, I moved on; and that is when we got stuck in the Friend Zone.
Jer on Their First Date:
All I know is I did everything- planned the date, picked her up, we laughed a lot, and I thought it was going well. There we were on her doorstep. I waited for any indication or body language that she wanted a hug or liked me. Even though she said thank you to me, she stood there and didn’t move. Maybe the night didn’t go as well as I thought it did, and a hug or a kiss would be unwelcome. Without knowing what to expect, I offered a handshake and figured I could get a hug next time.
Kat on Reuniting:
Jeremy and I went to a restaurant one day, and had a conversation about the idea soul mates. I asked him if he believed in the whole “one person for you”. He told me no, that anyone could be happily married as long as both people were of the same good character and committed. That idea stuck with me, and was the last time I saw him. He disappeared.
Months later I left for college and my date took me to meet his roommates. “Jeremy?” I asked. “Kat?” he replied back. “What are you doing here??” we asked each other. My date was floored, “You guys know each other???”
Jer on Reuniting:
After my Dad died, I moved out of state to learn a trade and go to school. I didn’t tell anyone I was leaving. Kat and I had dinner together before I left, though, and I thought that was the end of it.
I started over. I got a new job, got into another school, met a girl. And then one night Kat just showed up in my apartment! My roommate had taken her on a date. We started hanging out a lot as friends again.
Kat on When They Actually Started Dating:
Jeremy told me how he felt about being on the sidelines, and that I should give him a chance. Not wanting to ruin our friendship, I asked for answers in my prayers. It was the first time I had prayed about whether I should date someone; before, I relied only on my whims and desires, but now the stakes felt so high that I wanted heavenly guidance. My fear and hesitation morphed into faith and confidence, so I told him YES.
Personal revelation is a powerful, persuasive antidote to uncertainty and confusion.
Sheri Dew, Worth the Wrestle
With dating Jeremy, I immediately recognized how special and right it felt. We had closeness, respect, and shared values. I felt secure in his love and accepted exactly for who I was. He gave as much as I gave, and held nothing back. He threw rocks at my window, I mean come on! He always answered my phone calls or text messages. He sang to me. He made me food, and danced with me in the kitchen. He helped me learn to drive stick-shift (which takes a lot of patience). He carried me to my car so I wouldn’t have to walk in the snow wearing my sandals. He lit up and told me how beautiful I was, even when I had no makeup on with crazy hair and sweats on, hahaha! I could seriously gush about all the examples of his caring, genuine, and romantic ways but there is not enough room here. He STILL does all of these things 13+ years later!
Jer on When They Actually Started Dating:
It was so effortless.
Kat on When She Realized She Loved Him:
I didn’t ever want to be without him.
I cannot fix on the hour, or the spot, or the look or the words, which laid the foundation. It is too long ago. I was in the middle before I knew that I had begun.
Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice
Jer on When He Realized He Loved Her:
Before we started dating, I felt this pull towards her. When she left and came back from Florida, I hugged her multiple times because I missed her so much. I felt the spirit pushing the words out of me but I fought it back. No, it’s too early to ask her to marry me!
What If
Do you believe in destiny? I often think of how things worked out, and how unlikely it was for us to end up together without divine intervention. What if I had chosen a different school (I had considered others)? What if we had not moved to the same area at the same time? What if we did not make friends with the same people who re-introduced us? We wrote each other off several times… What if he didn’t forgive me? What if I had not called him when I felt impressed to? What if he never had the courage to ask me to date him?
It shows me we are meant to be- and that we choose each other again every day. ❤️
If you want something to last forever, you treat it differently. you shield it and protect it. You never abuse it. You don’t expose it to the elements. You don’t make it common or ordinary. If it ever becomes tarnished, you lovingly polish it until it gleams like new. It becomes special because you have made it so, and it grows more beautiful and precious as time goes by.
F. Burton Howard
