How We Met

The year was 2014. Jack and Annie met on a cool February evening at church small group in Durham, NC. It wasn’t the sexiest. They are the kind of people who should have met at Bonnaroo. But met they did, and Jack captured Annie’s attention with his inclusive agenda and countless How I Met Your Mother references. It should be noted here that this was before Annie knew how the series tragically ended. She is still mad about it.

At small group, Jack would occasionally give Annie obscure complements like, “Hey, you’re dressed like Mandy Moore tonight!” “Thanks,” Annie would reply, “I think.”

Soon, Jack and Annie found they had more in common than just an affinity for the same television. Their gluten intolerances brought them even closer together. To this day, Annie is glad to have someone to advocate for her in difficult restaurant situations, and eternally grateful for someone who accepts her vegetarianism. Another fun fact: Jack's mom and Annie's mom are both named Grace. 

There was a Facebook group for small group hangouts (note: sexy). Jack and Annie would both post invitations to things like The Grand Budapest Hotel Movie Night (where Jack almost sat next to Annie) and UNC Baseball (which Annie almost considered going to, even though she abhorred watching sports).

It was then that Jack decided to trick Annie into a first date. When Jack asked if the group wanted to go to a Food Truck Rodeo in Chapel Hill, Annie was all over it like saran wrap on a wet cantaloupe. But,  Jack texted Annie the day of with a last-minute change of plans, a music festival in Saxapahaw with some “colleagues.”

Annie went along with it. Jack  picked Annie up around 3pm, and rode out into the country. Jack and Annie quickly branched off from the group to drink bubble tea and sit in the sun, which made Jack sweat but Annie didn’t notice.

They talked about surrealism. Jack bought wine. There was a puppet parade. Annie mentioned how she had been in a cult. Jack told the story of his potato tattoo. Annie got the Louis Sachar reference. They got dinner at Med Deli. They talked late into the night.

The day after the surprise date, Jack ran across Annie paying for her groceries at Trader Joe’s. Annie was wearing cute high-waisted shorts. Jack still didn’t feel cool enough to shop at Trader Joe’s, he was buying gluten free bread. They shared an awkward side-hug. 

That night, Jack sent Annie a Facebook message with rap music recommendations. It was an excuse to keep the conversation going, and the rest is history.