How Kate and I Met - Joseph's Perspective

Accounts of how Kate and I met differ a little depending on who you ask, Kate may have her own version, but I'm going to let you know how it happened.

It started with a BBQ in September 2006 at my apartment on Queen Anne. I had recently bought a gas grill and  trying to get as much use out of it during the dwindling summer months in Seattle as I could. I had invited my friend Dan whom I had met in college and he brought his new girlfriend Kim. She was pretty brave to come and meet so many new people, especially if you know a few of my friends. I'll lovingly call them "graphic". She handled herself well, as did my friends. About halfway through the evening Kim started telling me about her friend and sorority sister Kate and how she wanted to somehow introduce the two of us. Always up for a challenge, I was eager to see how Kim was going to engineer this encounter.

Gas Grill

Luckily for me, Halloween was rapidly approaching, and those of you who know Dan, know that he can throw epic Halloween parties. So Dan invited me. And dropped the hint that Kim's friend Kate would be attending. I immediately got to work creating an equally epic costume. A quick trip to Value Village and $3 later, I had a sombrero. Partnered with a Hawaiian shirt that I already owned, I was ready to go. I was a tourist. I went to the party with my old college roommate and current workmate Sam, who was dressed in an equally impressive costume. He took a free shirt I had gotten from Beecher's Cheese in Pike Place Market and paired it with a whoopee cushion. He was a "cheese cutter".

Sam as "Cheesecutter" and Kim wearing my hat

We arrived and at the party, fashionably late, though still too early for Kate and her friends. Making small talk with various people and catching up with Dan we noticed a large group of people arrive, and I was told that within this group was the "great girl" that "you have to meet". Eventually after some hounding, somehow Kim introduced the two of us and we started talking. Kate immediately decided to make fun of my tourist costume, and I'm sure I made poked fun at hers as well. She had dressed as Kelly Kapowski from Saved by the Bell, a crowd favorite. It turned out that we both grew up in the Bay Area, that we went to rival highschools, and that her father even taught at my highschool while I was there years ago. Though I wasn't quite smart enough for that math class at the time. There were a lot of other things that we seemed to have in common and we chatted for quite a while.

Kate as "Kelly Kapowski"

We parted ways, I went back to talking with Sam, Kate went elsewhere. Soon it looked like Kate was going to leave. Kim demanded that I get her number (which was going to happen regardless, I could see the spark in Kate's eyes). Somehow the two of us ended up on Dan's balcony and I asked for her number, which she eagerly gave to me and we parted ways. Needless to say, I was had a great night.

Kate and I even made it into the background of someone else's photo

Our first and second dates... were interesting...