Parker County Today February 2017 | Page 28

The Barn The Gardens
WEDDINGS • RECEPTIONS • PROMS • PARTIES
looking .” Fashion had changed and so had
John .
“ He ’ d gone from wearing oversized T-shirts ( he was stuck in the early ‘ 90s fashion for a loooong time , and I remember him always drowning in his clothes in college ) to fitted button-down shirts that suited him nicely ,” she said .
Once they were in the zoo , John instinctively took over the stroller . “ He was use to helping with his niece and nephew when their dad was deployed ,” Crystal said . “ He apologized for stepping in like that , but I told him it was OK and just stood back and pondered how attractive I found that . I suppose your idea of ‘ sexy ’ evolves once you have a child .”
After that day , John and Crystal began spending as much time together as their schedules allowed .
Soon their friendship morphed into something more . “ It scared us both at first ,” she said . “ We had to have a few talks about not ruining our friendship . The weirdest part is
kissing one of your best friends for the first time . But our friendship has proven to be one of the best parts of our relationship .”
She ’ s also glad that her daughter watched their relationship grow out of friendship .
“ She knew John was my friend from college , and when that started to grow into something more we kept that information between us ,” she explained . “ We didn ’ t even hold hands in front of Lucia . Nearly a year later , John asked Lucia if he could be her mommy ’ s boyfriend . She mulled it over a bit and agreed , on the condition that we were not allowed to kiss ; but we could hold hands . Over time she was OK with us kissing on the cheek or forehead . She still pretends to be grossed out when we kiss on the lips .”
After John and Crystal dated for about a year , Lucia wanted John to live with them .
“ We had to explain why that would not happen ,” Crystal said . “ I was going through an annulment in the Catholic Church , which I had
converted to following my divorce , and we were following the rules to a T .”
Crystal had a feeling early on in their relationship that John was “ the one .”
“ But I kept that feeling compartmentalized ,” she said . “ I had just gotten a divorce , and I wasn ’ t even looking for a new relationship . But as they say , things happen .”
The first time Crystal attended mass at Saint Patrick Cathedral with John she was awestruck by the sheer beauty of the more than 125-year-old church . She thought to herself , “ If I ever get married again , this is where it will happen .”
Soon after John and Crystal began dating several of their friends got married .
“ We attended at least six weddings over the course of two years and I caught the bouquet at four of them ,” she said . “ At one wedding I caught the bouquet and John caught the garter . It became an ongoing joke of him trying to run away from the clutches of marriage .

The Barn The Gardens

Main floor in the Barn
Upstairs in the Barn
Main Floor
Kiosk at the
Gardens Venue
FEBRUARY 2017 PARKER COUNTY TODAY
Outdoor dance floor at the Barn Venue
Kiosk and Old Log Cabin at the Barn Venue
At the Gardens
Outdoor dance floor at the Gardens Venue

WEDDINGS • RECEPTIONS • PROMS • PARTIES

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