Aaron and I met my junior year in college (we go by my college years, because he was in college for like 6 years :). We both went to Moody Bible Institute in Chicago. We had several mutual friends, and we all used to go to our friend, Kat's house, to watch 24, our absolute favorite show! We like to say that Jack Bauer brought us together :) I actually remember the first time I met Aaron. My best friend, Tegan, and I were at Starbucks studying. He came, and pulled up a chair at our table and wanted to know if we wanted to go skydiving with him!? Umm, who are you and you are crazy! We started hanging out more just through mutual friends, and I just remember connecting with him through so many conversations and thinking what a great guy he was, but never thinking about dating him all along. When we came back from Christmas break the summer after my junior year, I remember sitting at the lunch table with Aaron and just casually asking how his Christmas break was. It is a pretty standard question when you come back for the 2nd semester after Christmas, and most people respond with time spent with family, what awesome gifts they got for Christmas, etc. However, when I asked Aaron, he proceeded to tell me how he started a 501c3 non-profit organization to train and disciple young people all around the world. What?! Who does that over Christmas break? Yet, still I am thinking, he is definitely the "type" of guy I want to marry, but totally missing the fact that he could BE the guy I want to marry. I loved his passion and drive in life. He didn't just talk about big dreams, he pursued them and made them reality. I love that! :) I always knew I wanted a guy who would take me on an adventure. We continued to hang out that semester, just as friends though (I was actually interested in and hanging out with another guy at that point, still just thinking about how Aaron was quickly growing to be one of my best friends).
So, the summer after my junior year, I ended up going on a mission trip to Jordan & Israel with a team that Aaron was leading with his organization, Project 784. It was a small team, only 4 of us. I would say it was probably on that trip that I first started falling in love with Aaron Nebrija. I watched him live out his passions and that was incredibly attractive to me :) I remember a couple of nights that Aaron and I would just happen to be the only 2 people still awake and we would talk and talk into the night. I felt comfortable with him, like I could trust him, and I respected his wisdom, passion, and leadership. I remember that being a hard trip for me in several ways, and he helped me through a lot of it. But, I must admit, I did not know what to do with this growing attraction. I had just had my heart broken like never before a few months earlier, and I was so scared and my heart was so guarded. Yet, at the same time, I was beginning to have those butterflies-in-my-stomach, I-think-I'm-falling-for-this-guy feelings. I remember one night, in particular, we were sitting up on the rough top of our hostel, overlooking the city of Jerusalem, and it was magical. But I was still scared out of my mind to fall in love with this guy. I was scared he wouldn't love me back, and that was so hard to even think about...
Here are some pictures from that trip:
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| Our team getting ready to head out to Jordan/Israel |
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| Our first picture together in Jordan :) |
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| Hezekiah's Tunnel in Israel |
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| Jordan River |
TO BE CONTINUED.... :)
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