Well, since Grace did ask, maybe it’s time to write down the story of how Phil and I came to be Mr. and Mrs.
Someday my babies might want to know about the funny thing that happened on the way to the seminary. They did ask Phil the other night about how he and Mama met and who knows what he told them. So I’m hear to set the record straight.
Phil and I probably have a lot more “practical” to our love story than “romantic“. We laugh about having an “arranged marriage,” though we arranged ourselves into this Estate. Even so, much to Phil’s horror, there are still some pretty romantic tidbits lurking here. Or perhaps just the ro-manic.
There are several parts to it that I clearly see where the story could have gone much differently and I’d still be in Austin (not the best place for finding single, normal, Lutheran men), in a band, basking in all my tree hugging hippiness, very alone. But that wasn’t what a very very loving God wanted for me and I am grateful!
Really, I was such a catch! (that’s my supermodel face)
So here’s how it happened…for the record.
I guess I’d have to begin our story many years ago in a little Lutheran church in Austin, Tx. Me a wandering and wondering Christian looking for a place to hang my hat and Phil settled and grounded in the Lutheran faith serving away. I started to go to that church with other wandering friends who one by one gave in to the Truth we all found there and became Lutherans, me the last one.
I met Phil there at some point. He claims that his impression of me was that I seemed “nice” but I’m sure that was before “the incident”. When I rudely didn’t respond to a “Hi” he gave me. I don’t remember that and I would never have purposely ignored such a greeting, so I’m sure I simply didn’t hear his “Hi”.
But I suppose the damage was done and shortly after that Phil left for seminary in Indiana. *I should note here that a friend of mine also left for seminary around the same time as Phil. They were in the same class. This is important for what happens later.*
Years passed. Me continually “unlucky” in love and saying “Hi” to Phil on the occasions he would visit our church while on break from seminary.
It’s funny now to remember during this time my girlfriends pointing out how good looking Phil was, trying to move me in his direction. And then how happy I was when I learned Phil had met someone and he wouldn’t be a lonely pastor. (Oh, that didn’t work out btw. Lucky me!). All signs were pointing to PHIL but neither of us were reading them.
Remember that friend in seminary I mentioned earlier? Well it was time for him to graduate and receive a call so all my friendsies were planning a trip to Indiana to attend his Call Service.
Was I gonna go? Probably not, I’d have to take time off work, I’d have to buy a plane ticket…BUT they were going to spend a couple days in Chicago first and I did LOVE Chicago and…..my girlfriends were quick to point out, “what better place to find me a good Lutheran man than at a Lutheran Seminary?!”
So we began a mission, Mission: Find Aubri a Husband.
It was a last minute decision on my part, I would go.
I did think it would be interesting to attend a Pastoral Call Service (I was much more pious back then), it’d be good to see our friend and hey, that guy Phil would be there too, we could see him.
Me and my Cousin Wes in the middle amid our married friends.
(Phil told me later he wondered why we weren’t dating since we seemed to get along so well! I should add, that was before he knew we were….related.)
Little did I know that my life was about to change FOREVER!
I’m glad you are writing this all down; years from now your children will love it! Also, it does make for very entertaining reading….