Part 1 - Him

I had been home from my mission for about 5-6 months near the end of July 2011. I had already been in one relationship that ended in heartbreak on one side (hers), but was a decision that ended up being an answer to both of our prayers.

I had been invited to this party by one of my friends (Todd) whose intentions were to set me up with this girl that I had never met before. I spent almost every night at this house, where the party was, during the summer-so I was in my comfort zone.

As I arrived, Todd immediately pointed out this girl and we awkwardly looked at her in the pool from afar. My heart immediately started to beat faster, but this is my "home turf", so I did what I do best... I shot some hoops with my brown friend, Daniel. Usually I'm decently good at playing water basketball, but this night I was especially bad. I could not make a shot in my life. Every time I missed a shot I would look over at her to see if she saw me.

Eventually she made her way over to me, and as we started to talk I first noticed her lisp. I thought it was the cutest thing in the world, second to that were her freckles on her shoulders. After seeing her freckles I was sold.

I told her I wanted to be a physical therapist. She had a more complicated route. She was majoring in business management with a minor in music and a a dream to go to Boston for occupational therapy. I thought it was odd that she didn't have a strong science undergrad degree but, not wanting to sound stupid, I asked her if she wanted to own her own practice in the end. She told me that I was one of the few people to put that together. Whew! I felt like I passed her first test and I didn't sound like an idiot. Obviously it would lead to more in the end.

Part 1 - Her

Summer of 2011 was hard. Really hard. And it wasn't just because I took calculus 2. However, that probably didn't help.

In and out of relationship problems, I was trying to take life by the horns and have the best summer ever with my sister as my roommate in good old Tucson.

"I'm done with boys for a long time" you could hear me say at the beginning of every day. And in the middle. And especially the end.

Can you imagine how frustrated I got when I heard those words "there's someone I want to set you up on a blind date with"? Ummm no. Grad school for Occupational Therapy in Boston and a study abroad in Nottingham isn't worth any boy. No way.

I put off that blind date. It never happened. That doesn't mean they didn't set us up though. We were totally unaware. Or at least, I was.

It was a late July night, and time for a good old fashioned pool party. Bring on the sodas. I heard my ex (who had cheated on me 2 months earlier) was going to be there....so I went and bought a new swimsuit. Just like any modest girl would do.

He was shooting hoops, or attempting to, when they pointed him out to me. "Why not"  I thought to myself. Not like this was going anywhere. I wasn't going to let it go anywhere. I was done.

"What are you going into?" he asked.
"Occupational Therapy. And you?"
"Physical Therapy."

I felt like I had met a kindred spirit. Who couldn't shoot a hoop to save his life. Just like me.

And that brown guy was there too.
We love us some Daniel Brown, the winner of awkward pool conversations and awesome frisbee-catching-Sarah-crushing-moments.

It feels like Tomorrow

Yesterday as Steven and I sat studying for exams I mentioned how it "felt like tomorrow."

Steven laughed and then pointed at the clock.

It was 12:00am. On the dot.

Time might go a little faster than I realized.

And I think it's just about time we start documenting it.

This is my blog. I'm Sarah. Sarah Struthers. Steven will make guest appearances, I'm sure. But I am the missionary sister. You'll figure out what that means later.