A Neat Encounter

Almost 3 years ago, on June 25, two couples were married in two different places. Chris and I shared our vows in Indiana and Chris and Kristen Brace shared theirs in South Carolina. I'll never forget sitting in the airport in Atlanta for our 3 hour layover on the way to St. Thomas, USVI. We were dog tired and just wanted to get to our final destination. And next to us, sat this nice couple who also had that "honeymooning" look in their eyes. After an hour or so, we both finally introduced ourselves to one another and the rest is history!

First of all, the guys had their names in common to say the least. After talking for a while, they found out many more ways in which they were alike. Kristen seemed to be this caring, down to earth person from the start and we certainly hit it off when we figured out we were both first grade teachers! The rest of the layover was spent talking and getting to know one another, sharing stories of weddings, families, and thoughts of our futures as Christian married couples.

After departing ways once we arrived in St. Thomas, we decided to meet up during the week for an outing together. Chris and I are extremely laid back, non-planners...and Chris and Kristen, well, they were the yen to our yang. They planned for us all to go on a submarine trip to explore the beautiful sea creatures, then we headed to the highest point on the island for some lunch and relaxation. The day ended with a trip to one of the prettiest beaches and we were practically the only ones there. The guys explored the "sea cucumbers" while snorkeling and Kristen and I just laid back and enjoyed the beautiful scenery and jabbered on about everything imaginable.

We even met up with them again in both airports as we all made our way back home. I remember exchanging emails and talking about keeping in touch, but it seemed like life in our own worlds had just begun when we landed back home. Over the last couple years, Chris and I thought about the Brace's often, even trying to get in touch with them when we were vacationing in Myrtle Beach one summer. The connection was never made. After we had Addie, we both wondered if they had any babies yet. It was always a big mystery to us what they were up to until I received an email recently from Kristen! They do have a little boy who is a few months older than Addie and a little girl on the way, due just a few months before our second!

It's just so funny how you can meet people one time in your life, but feel like you've known them forever. We have always felt that connection with the Brace's and now we can actually keep in contact and meet up with them again. We sure hope an "anniversary visit" is somewhere in our future.