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How We Met...as told by Carolyn
It all began in 1990 on the first day of class at Catonsville High School...
Carolyn turned around to see Brian for the first time sitting directly behind her in homeroom. She melted at the sight of him...
That day started an unusually long crush that would last 7 years before the day Brian would notice her.
In the few classes and plays they were in together, they would talk casually and even joke occasionally. But as Carolyn daydreamed about the day he might ask her to a school dance, Brian would call her "the Joker," explaining that her cheeks looked like Jack Nicholson's in the movie "Batman." The crush was definitely not mutual.
Her attraction to Brian continued throughout high school, but he never asked her to a dance. They even ran into each other a few times after school, and still nothing materialized until...
May of 1997, Carolyn was about to leave college for her summer break, and she decided then and there in her dorm room that it was time to find the guy who would make her truly happy. She listed the qualities she wanted to find in this dream man--caring, respectful, earthy, interested in alternative medicine, loves animals and the water, etc.
Two weeks later, Brian's brother Matt, a senior at Catonsville High School, walked into Brian's bedroom with his new high school yearbook. As Brian curiously flipped through the book, he noticed a familiar-looking face--it was a picture of Jennifer Fuss, Carolyn's sister. Brian then realized that Matt and Jennifer were in the same graduating class.
Brian thought about Carolyn for the first time in years. He didn't know why, but all of a sudden he felt a strange desire to try and find her. He hoped she would be at the high school graduation coming up in two weeks...
Two weeks later, on her way out the door, Carolyn grabbed a bright yellow jacket to wear with her outfit for her sister's graduation. She had never worn it before but thought it would brighten her outfit up a little. She carried with her a bagful of pens and markers to make her sister a graduation card, figuring the crafty activity would make up for the repetition of the ceremony.
At the graduation site, Brian walked in and looked at the hundreds of people, questioning whether he could even find Carolyn. He sat down and looked across the room. Carolyn was the first person he saw, sitting in her bright yellow jacket.
Carolyn finished her sister's card as the ceremony ended and took her bagful of pens upstairs. As she was leaving, she heard a familiar voice call her name. Carolyn looked up and could barely recognize the bearded guy smiling at her. After looking into his eyes, she realized it was the Brian Thompson from high school that she had always liked!
She was filled with excitement but calmed herself, trying to put the seven-year crush behind her. He asked how she was; she told him about her studies at Washington College and the upcoming semester in England. As Brian talked about his work and the Baltimore School of Massage, Carolyn noticed him smiling at her. She shrugged it off, and decided to leave. She didn't want to continue this one-sided crush any longer.
As she was walking out the door, Brian said, "Wait, can I give you my number?" Carolyn's mouth dropped as she turned back around. He asked, "Do you have a pen?" Carolyn shook her head no, and then Brian looked down at her bagful of pens. They laughed and exchanged phone numbers.
A week later, he picked her up in his truck and took her to the The Candy Box (a candy store in Catonsville) for their first date. While driving there, Carolyn felt something furry climb up her leg. She squealed; it was one of Brian's ferrets that he had in the car. He wanted to test her to see if she liked animals.
They spent four hours at the candy store eating yummy parfaits and talking--about the beach, his hobbie of making fountains, philosophies of life, and her seven year crush on him.
That was six years ago...
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How I proposed...by Brian
While vacationing in Florida, we decided to take a snorkeling trip in the Keys. It was a warm and sunny morning when we signed up for a boat trip out to the coral reef. The boat ended up being a 40' catamaran sailboat with an old hippy captain and his youthful first mate. Before setting sail, the captain whipped out a harmonica and mimicked a train through the boat loudspeaker. We both knew we were in for quite a trip!
The one hour ride out to the reef was spent talking with the captain and two other couples on board. As we were assembling our snorkel gear to jump into the 2' waves, the First Mate noticed Carolyn's mask was not sealing properly. He said, "Oh, you have chubby cheeks! Just remember not to smile or laugh when you're out there because you will break the seal on your face mask."
We then jumped into the ocean and watched the underwater world in amazement. After a while, I swam over to Carolyn, took off my snorkel and said, "I think I see something shiny on the bottom." I swam down to the sea floor, stirring up the sand to make Carolyn think I had found a coin or something.
It wasn't until a few moments after I reached the surface that Carolyn noticed what was in my hand. "Will you marry me?" I asked. "Yes!" she shouted.
The ocean was rolling. I could tell her mind was racing. Treading water and her snorkel full of the salty sea, she said, "Brian I have so much I want to tell you!" I replied, "Just swim, just swim!" thinking we could talk when we got back to the boat.
After taking off their gear, the captain got wind of this. He whipped out his trusty harmonica once again to memorialize this special occaision with a bluesy version of "Here comes the Bride." He told us he had never seen an engagement like this before.
What they're doing now...
Brian has been working as a Construction Superintendent with Waverly Construction in Baltimore for the past five years. Carolyn creates youth leadership programs and runs a summer camp at the Central Maryland Red Cross.
Carolyn is planning to go to the College of Notre Dame in the fall to study Non-profit Management and hopes one day to start a non-profit working with animals.
When they have free time, they're rescuing, rehabilitating, and placing homeless animals with a non-profit organization called Tails of Hope Sanctuary. You may also find them swing dancing at Avalon Studio in Catonsville, running their catamaran into various objects in the bay while learning to sail, or camping in the mountains.
Find out more about where we swing dance:
(Click here to visit Avalon Dance Studio)
Learn about where we volunteer:
(Click here to visit Tails of Hope) |
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