Next Sunday will be the third anniversary of my first date with Jason. I look back onto that Wednesday night three years ago and I can’t believe all that has changed! Who knew how one blind date could change the course of one’s entire life.
I remember that night so clearly. I also recall the youthful events that led up to that coffee date at Cup of Joes with a smile. If you haven’t heard our story, lean in and be ready to roll your eyes at the high school antics. If you have heard our story, sorry…not sorry 🙂
It was mid-March of 2010 and I was working as a personal trainer and also fundraising to go on staff with a college ministry. I had no desire to pursue a relationship with anyone because I had a plan. I was going to go on staff with The Navigators at the University of Northern Iowa for two years and then head overseas. I had plans of spending the rest of my life in the Middle East. It was there, in the Middle East, where I would fall madly in love with a missionary and live happily ever after with him, serving and loving on a people group that had never heard of Jesus.
Unbeknownst to me, one personal training session would wreck those dreams… I was training one of my lovely ladies at 5 am when she approached me with an odd question…more like a statement. “There’s this new guy at Scott’s shop that wants to take you out for coffee.” I’m sorry what?? Hundreds of questions came to mind, but she wouldn’t answer any of them. She just directed me to Scott (local owner of a running shop). I was skeptical, but still curious as to how this guy found out about me and why he would want to meet me.
The next day, I needed to buy some new shoes and I thought it would also be a good excuse to stop by Scott’s shop to see what this was all about. When I stepped in the small, quaint shop I stopped in my tracks and blood rushed to my face. There was a new guy working the shop. I knew all of the employees at The Runner’s Flat, so I instantly knew that this was “Woody” (my client only knew him by his classy nickname).
Instantly I knew that I could either be really awkward or play it cool. I chose to play it cool and repeated to myself the entire time “Don’t be weird. Just breathe. Don’t be awkward, Sarah.” Thankfully, it worked. I introduced myself to him and proceeded to buy a pair of shoes. I didn’t get a chance to chat with Scott, but I did walk out of the shop with a new pair of shoes and the thought that “Woody” wasn’t quite as weird as I first thought….
Stayed tuned next week as I share about how I was run down on the trails, had mixed messages on Facebook and ultimately had our date that changed our lives forever!
The spot of our first coffee date!
In Truth and Grace 