How We Met
It all started back in the halls of Padua Franciscan High School close to 13 years ago. Through those four years we became friends, always were quick to pass a smile back and forth and every once and a while hung out with the same friends. It seemed each year we were there we got to be better friends, and once we got to senior year we even went out on a date to the movies. This was quite the epic date as we even held hands! Whether it was sweaty hands ha we were both pretty nervous, timing, shyness, or we secretly knew we just weren’t ready for each other, we left high school still just friends.
We both had the next big steps in life and moved to almost to the farthest points of the state to attend college, but that didn’t keep us too far. Attending the University of Toledo and Miami University, Gunshow3 and Kp7cherry stayed in touch thru IM’s between classes, before we were headed to the bars, and, most entertaining, after we got home in the wee hours of the morning. Kristen even came up to Toledo to visit and not knowing it then, or even realizing it now she was with her future in-laws too.
It wasn’t until we both graduated college, however, that we really reconnected. Kristen had been working
downtown at KeyBank for about a year when Jared was interviewing for his job at CGI. One day Carolyn and
Kristen met Jared for lunch to see how his interview went and to talk about how great it would be if he
worked down there too! Jared emailed Kristen a few weeks later (on April 27, 2006 exactly 3 years before
he proposed!) to say that he got the job and that we would have to hang out more.
Latoya tells Kristen to this day she knew the first time we all had Jimmy John's by the fountain next to Key Tower there was something between Jared and Kristen – Kristen humored her cube buddy by saying maybe, but really just laughed it off because Kristen was a little bit country, Jared was a bit alternative. Who would have thought they’d be anything more than the already great friends they were!
The story just takes off from there. Working downtown in the Spring/Summer meant a lot of lunches mid-day masses,
and happy hours together. We kept having so much fun together that we would meet up during the week after work
to watch our favorite TV Shows (Prison Break, 24, The Office, and even Grey’s Anatomy). Soon to follow were road
trips to see our college friends, many ice cream runs and the best Indians game either of us have gone to when we
had our first kiss on July 23, 2006.
Although things were going great, we decided we were going to take things slower. Neither one of us wanted to rush into something serious having both just graduated. Until our first wedding together when we realized space was the last thing either one of us wanted or needed. We were better together. On October 28, 2006 at the Blakeley’s wedding we became boyfriend and girlfriend. And of course did a Puma shot just to make it official :]
Jared’s Weeks Leading Up To Proposal:
After a few years of courting and knowing Kristen was the one, Jared didn’t have the how and when down quite yet to pop the big question. Jared started training for the 2009 Cleveland Marathon and although he had a friend to talk to most of the way there was still a lot of time in the metro-parks to really think. And really who else would he be thinking about other than Kristen. After a while, I got the basics of where but when was the big question.
Then one day in the spring of 2009, after some emails with Kristen I found out that then entire Polomsky family was going to their grandma’s but Mr. Polomsky was not going to make it. There was my big chance to get Mr. Polomsky alone to ask for his permissions and blessings without being conspicuous. So we met up talking things over and Mr. Polomsky left me with the wise words of "don’t wait too long". Now not knowing whether he meant, "don’t wait too long because Kristen is done waiting…" or "don’t wait too long because he couldn’t keep the secret" was not really clear. I decided I had to get my act together.
A couple weeks later I convinced Kristen to meet me on a Monday after work down at the cathedral.
This is how Kristen remembers the next turn of events:
…So I go to mass and if you know Jared at all he can sometimes be a bit NOT punctual and of course the 5pm mass comes & goes and ends and still NO sign of Jared or anyone else for that matter. So I was kneeling in the back of the church, just me and the security guard and my growling stomach. In walks Jared and he kneels next to me. He was wearing a tie which I thought was a bit suspicious haha.
Me:Wow you got dressed up for this thing, I feel bad now that I didn’t know. Where is everyone?
JB:Well I have a surprise (as we both start sitting down) no one else is meeting us.
This is when I swear I blacked out for a second because I was starting to think this could be IT!
JB:Kristen I only fall more and more in love with you each day and I wanted to ask you he starts to kneel
if you’d make me the happiest man alive and be my wife.
Out pops a GORGEOUS ring he picked out himself and before I could even really look at it I just grabbed him and gave him the biggest kiss. I just couldn’t believe after all these years and all this time Jared was right there asking me to be his wife. I was going to get to marry my best friend !
Jared even made the evening extra special by covering my whole apartment in candles and flowers. On my bed was a cookie that said “I Love My Future Wife” (it is the only cookie I have ever been able not to eat)
Some Notable Family Reactions to Engagement:
- "about time"
- "i can't believe you're going to marry a penn state fan"
- "i knew that was coming"
Some of Our Favorite Memories
- Steve Jindra’s 21st birthday where I’m pretty sure Jared, Carolyn, and I remember even less of his birthday than Steve does.
- Our Baltimore trips: incl. our first long heart to heart on Carolyn’s porch and of course the snowstorm of 2008. We were snowed into Carolyn’s apartment and forced to listen to 7 hours of Tecmo Bowl and Jared, Horvath, and Yurik giggling like little school girls.
- St. Patrick’s Day ’07 and all the good times we remember/don’t remember for the full 18 hours we were downtown.
- Jared winning first place at Erin and Ryan Mckenna’s Annual Ugly Christmas Sweater Party.
- Drinking out of the silver chalice at Matt’s e4th apartment for that first magical time together.
- Our first game at Wrigley Field (of course with photo hunt afterwards) with Karalee and Brian (as well as of course Denim Explosion party where Jared’s jorts made their first appearance)
- Kelly’s Island camping where Jared’s jorts made their 2nd and final appearance.
- Our Hocking Hills and Miami University Fall Road Trips. Hiking and Bagel and Deli makes for a pretty amazing weekend.
- Thanksgiving with Matt and Melissa (soon to be!) Knott.
- Getting lost on a beach in Hilton Head after Benner’s wedding until about 2am because we could have sworn our hotel was just down a few miles
- Meeting Brady for the first time at Jared’s birthday party and little Eliza in the hospital just a few days after she was born
- Literally pulling an all nighter together to finish Eliza’s one year birthday scrapbook
- Our visit to Scranton, PA and our adventure to Poor Richard’s Pub.
- Our entire trip to NYC including standing in Times Square, walking around St. Patrick’s Cathedral, touring NBC studios with Magnolia Bakery in hand, and eating at the Seinfeld Restaurant.
