How We Met
Tim and I met in the modern way, online, but with a twist. I was helping organize my grandparents house in Pennsylvania, but I was living in Virginia. I did not notice…or ignored…the location feature on the certain app that I was swiping on that evening. When I matched with a cute guy with only a car logo as his information, he reached out and I hated to say that I was actually leaving for Virginia the next day. He tried to wish me a safe trip, but I ignored his goodbye and asked him about his job. After a week of texting and calls, Tim bravely drove in the rain two hours to take me out for burgers, and drove right back that evening. We both told a close friend that we had just met “the one.” We traveled to Napa, Tim made me a bench for Valentine’s Day, and I became “mom” to his sweet dog. It was so obvious and easy and we fell deeper in love over the months that followed.
how they asked
Tim and I had always planned on getting married soon since we are a few states apart. I had been asking and poking for information, because until March 24th, I have always hated surprises. I always said that if he was to propose, I would want him to somehow just sneak the ring on! I wondered if my nails should be done, what state we would be in at the moment, but since Tim sometimes knows what’s better for me than I even think, he threw me off his trail multiple times. He said I didn’t have to worry about him coming down to Virginia, because he was out of vacation days.
I woke up for my last day of work before Spring Break. I teach fourth grade and they were excited and anxious for their week-long break. I begged the gym teacher to please take my class for a quick 20 minute gym class so that I could have a break to catch up on some grading. Surprisingly, he said yes. Little did I know, my best friend at work, Haley, had told him he had to take my kids for a gym break so that Tim could set his plan in motion.
While my students were in gym, Tim arrived. It is in a different building, so I had no idea. My students did not even know that I had a boyfriend, so when Haley introduced him, they yelled and were excited for that. But then, when she told him they were going to help him propose, they promptly lost their minds. Amazingly, Tim was able to get them in line, in t-shirts that spelled out WILL YOU MARRY ME MISS KRATZ, and quiet.
I always meet my class right outside my classroom. They wear cute, white polos with their uniforms, but this time, I saw they each had a letter proudly displayed on their shirts. I figured out the message and asked “Who’s asking?” Tim was still hiding outside the door. As he walked in and dropped to one knee, I was floored at his creativity, so happy from the joyful looks on the students, and with tears in my eyes, told him of course I would become his wife.
The remainder of the school day was extra recess :)
We drove to Pennsylvania to tell his family, New York to tell mine, and my brother took a few initial engagement shots on the beach to capture the love.
