Matt and I met when we were in 4-H together as kids. We didn’t particularly like each other much then. We also went to high school together briefly (I was a freshman when he was a senior).

In the spring of 1998, I was home from college for my sister’s high school graduation. Matt was home for his friend’s (Doug) wedding. At the same time, Matt’s best friend, David, and his fiancée, Robyn (who happened to be my best friend), were home for Doug’s wedding as well. David and Robyn had recently become engaged, but they weren’t getting along very well on this visit. So, Robyn called me and David called Matt to diffuse the situation. Considering the situation we both walked into, I think we had a pretty fun time. I remember driving home wondering when I’d get to see Matt next, but I didn’t have the guts to make the first move. A few evenings later, we were all back at David’s parents’ house with more of David and Matt’s friends. We played a game David’s dad had learned in the military with David’s pool table. The game included the need to run around the pool table and blocking moves by the other team. Matt and I were on opposite teams, and my over-competitive side took over. I saw that Matt had set up a good block on the corner of the table, so I chose to dive across the edge to force him out of the way. I guess he was impressed because he would tell everyone later that I “threw myself at him”.

We didn’t officially get together until a couple of weeks later, when Robyn called to fill me in on the adventures of Doug’s wedding. It turned out that Matt had used me as his excuse to not be eligible to catch the garter. That same day, Matt had looked up my email on the KU website, but did not email me. My curiosity got the better of me, so I emailed Matt to get an explanation, which really freaked him out, as he wondered whether the website had told me he had looked me up! That explanation turned into the first of many long phone calls (as I was in Kansas and he in Indiana) and the start of our relationship.