Meet the Newlyweds John & Sarah

This week I have the pleasure of introducing John and Sarah whom currently reside in Germany!! Guten Tag! (Good Day) Sarah has a neat blog SoJo life in which she shares her “Not Me” Monday posts, fun recipes, and stories about their cute puppy Beni.  Oh and I can’t not fail to mention all the wonderful traveling they are doing while in Europe; to places like The Netherlands and the Bavarian Castles. And I must give a shout out that they are both UT fans, (Hookem Horns)  Check um out!  On to the interview.

Wedding date: May 31, 2008
Blog: SoJo life

How did you meet?Hah! Well, that’s quite a story. We originally met in March 2003 at a protest rally near the University of Texas. I was a photojournalism major, and I had gone to document the protest. John just likes to get in a good argument, so he went for fun. He was a counter-protester at the rally, so he caught my eye. I asked if I could take some photos of him and we ended up walking and talking a bit that day. We found out we were both from the same hometown and graduated high school the same year, but that was it. When the protest was over, we parted ways and didn’t see each other for 3 years.

Fast forward to February 2006; when I’m eating at my favorite Austin restaurant, John is my server! I didn’t recognize him, but he said I looked familiar. I didn’t believe him and figured it was a line. Again, we discovered we had the same hometown, but we couldn’t make any other connections. I finished my meal and went home…and I thought about him.

I thought enough about him that I HAD to go back not too long after that encounter. I brought a friend and clued her in on the “cute waiter.” I wasn’t lucky enough to get seated in his section again, but he saw me in the restaurant and again told me I looked familiar. I was incredibly flustered because I liked him, so I replied (rather shortly) “yeah, I know, we’re both from San Antonio.” Apparently, I came off a wee bit rude, so he was done with me. I, on the other hand, thought I handled it well and was glad that nerve-wracking encounter with my “crush” was over. The friend I’d dragged along decided it was a good idea for me to leave my phone number for John. (This is not something I made a practice of, mind you.) My heart was racing, but I scribbled it down on the back of my receipt and gave it to my waiter to give to John, who was in the kitchen at the time. I immediately RACED out of the restaurant, because I didn’t want to have to face John after giving him my phone number. Ok, I’m shy! What can I say? And did I mention that I had a walking cast on at the time? So by “raced out,” I mean I hobbled out as awkwardly as quickly as possible.

John ended up calling me and we went out a few times. During the first week, we made the connection that we’d met before. The rest of the story is a bit long, but we didn’t date for very long after this. We went our separate ways but ended up being pushed back together several months later even though I think we both fought it. A year after we parted ways, we were dating again, and 7 months later, we got engaged.

When did you know he was the one? From the very first weeks of dating…I can’t even put it into words. I just knew.

What is one of your favorite things to do together? I’m trying to learn to be more outdoorsy. John loves it, and I love having him show me about his passion for the great outdoors. We also like to cook together. He’s also patiently trying to teach me to play the guitar, and I enjoy that!

What is something new you learned about your spouse after you were married? He likes to make up songs for everything, and you know what? It’s a lot of fun, and I usually participate now even though I can’t really sing. My husband, on the other hand, is musically gifted!

What do you do to stay connected during everyday stresses of life? Luckily, my husband currently works in a job where he can come home for lunch and I’m not working because I’m finishing my master’s, so we have lunch together at home almost every week day. Also, on Sundays, we have a tradition of going to a nearby coffeehouse for a brunch. These are great traditions that I know we won’t be able to keep up when our circumstances change, but for the time being, I really enjoy.

What is your best piece of marriage advice? Humility is key, as is communication. A lot of people tout the importance of communication, but without humility, you cannot have effective communication. Realizing the marriage isn’t created to make you happy but to sanctify you, which calls for humility and love (defined as doing whatever the other person needs – not wants – regardless of the cost to yourself), is paramount.

What is your favorite quirk about your husband? His random songs throughout the day and his routine before leaving the house are probably my favorite quirks. Every day before he leaves the house, he does a 6-point check: wallet, keys, beret (if in uniform), phone, knife, ring.

What is something special you do just for your husband? Since I’m not working right now, I have lunch ready when he comes home so we can enjoy the most time together without running around trying to get lunch ready. I also do my best to get everything I need to get done during the day while he’s away at work so we can make the most of our time together in the evenings.

Tell us something about yourself. I am a native Texan currently living in Germany. I cannot wait to get back to Texas and experience thunderstorms and beautiful sunshine, bluebonnets, year-round flip flop weather, HEB, yummy Tex-Mex, and Shiner Bock beer again.

I am finishing up my master’s in International Relations and will officially be done this summer. I spend my days working on school, taking care of the house and our sweet little yellow lab puppy, Béni. (His name means “blessed” in French.) I also enjoy photography, which I majored in for my undergrad, baking, travel and reading.

Hope you join us for next weeks rendition of Meet the Newlyweds.  If you interested in being a featured couple or know of a newlywed blogging couple, please leave me a comment.