Our Love Story
April 7th marks 12 years of marriage for Jon and I. When they say marriage is a wild ride they aren’t lying. Our life has changed so much since our beginning. I couldn’t have even guessed the twists and turns God would have put in front of us. However, I know with certainty that he is the one I always want to do life with. So today retell the story of how we met. We had this printed on the backs of our wedding program.
How we met - told by Crystal and Jon
Crystal: Through cattle shows and my internship with the American Hereford Association, I knew who Jon was, but our paths hadn’t crossed before. I actually thought he was a little arrogant. Later he proved me very wrong.
Jon: While watching the Hereford Bull Show in Denver, Colorado at the National Western Stock Show, I had seen Crystal in the Angus ring shooting photos. Little did I know our paths would cross later that evening.
Crystal: Each year at Stock Show my friends, including Kristi Bishop, and I would always get together Judging Team night at the Double Tree Hotel Bar. Kristi and Jon had gone to college together at Oklahoma State and was also a very good friend of Jon’s so he decided to join in on the fun.
Jon: Before going to Denver my dad and I had talked about a new TV show I am Angus. He was very high on the show. I had never seen it, but I knew Crystal was involved with the show. As Crystal walked by our table that night I said, “Hey aren’t you the girl that works on I am Angus.” She responded yes, and I told her how great I thought it was even though she had no idea I had never seen the show.
Crystal: That is when Jon used his first pick up line ever and said, “Do you want to make I am Baldy?” I told him why don’t you have Craig Huffines (CEO of the Hereford Association) give me a call. (Side note: for my non cattle friends. When you breed an Angus (the breed I worked for) with a Hereford (the breed of cattle Jon raised) you get a baldy. A little farm humor ;)
Jon: We continued talking that night and I bought many rounds of drinks for Crystal and her friends, and perhaps surrounding tables. Fun was had by all.
Crystal: Jon definitely peaked my interest that night. We spent sometime talking about Calf Fry, a country music concert that I traveled to Stillwater each year for, to hang out with Kristi. Jon had also been to it in the past and I told him I would make my famous Oklahoma shaped French Toast if he joined Kristi and I again this year. However, we went our separate ways without any phone numbers exchanged.
Fast forward a few weeks.
Crystal: I had been thinking about Jon a little more, and decided that I should do some background checks on him. I had supper with Chris Stephens, on of my former internship bosses and past Junior Activities Director of the National Junior Hereford Association in Manhattan, Kansas a few weeks later and decided to ask him about Jon. I also sent emails to Jon and I’s mutual friends Kristi and Catie Sims. (Update: how cute is it that we sent emails to our close friends. Could you imagine emailing your friends instead of texting now, ha) Their reaction was all very much the same to begin with – a little surprised. However, they all told me he was a great guy, with an awesome family, lots of fun and the more they thought about it the more they liked the idea. (Another update that didn’t make the PC version of the program. My friends were actually more shocked. Jon and I were at two really different stages of our lives. I was climbing a corporate ladder and Jon was having a REALLY good time enjoying life. They hadn’t ever thought of us together but the more they thought the more they liked it.)
Jon: Crystal was in Des Moines, Iowa, for a weekend with her girlfriends and had sent me a Facebook message telling me I should meet up with the girls and her that night. I was in the race shop with Troy and Travis and was exchanging messages back and forth via Facebook with Crystal. They asked who I was talking to and I pulled up a picture of Crystal and said my future ex wife (update: jokes on him… still proving him wrong, lol). I wasn’t able to make it to Des Moines that weekend though because of working on the race car and calves had to be clipped for Iowa Beef Expo, but I promised I would go to Calf Fry in April.
Fast forward to April
Crystal: I was excited to be making my second trip to Calf Fry. Dana May was road tripping with me, and Kristi had offered her place to us again. I knew Jon would be also coming and Dana and I had talked a lot about my excitement of seeing him again. We were all staying at Kristi’s house so it was going to be a bit of a sink or swim situation.
Jon: Crystal and I had a great time at the concert. That night when we got back to Kristi’s house Crystal was giving me hell for having Herefords, so I showed her our latest sale catalog. After a while she agreed they weren’t terrible.
Crystal: And Jon got a kiss out of it.
Jon: Kristi yelled at me the next morning and said, “You better not screw this weekend up and make the house awkward for everyone.” I said, “This is a trailer, not a house.”
Crystal: Despite Kristi’s initial concerns the weekend went great, and when we went our separate ways I told Jon he could get my number from Kristi if he wanted it.
Jon: As Kristi drove me to the airport she said she could get Crystal’s number off her phone, I had informed her I had already done so that morning.
Crystal: Jon wasted no time called me that night, and we made plans for him to stop in St. Joseph on his way back from his family’s cattle sale a couple of weeks.
Fast forward to after the sale
Crystal: We had talked on the phone every night between Calf Fry and the sale, so I was very excited to see Jon again. When he got to my house he asked me if I was his girlfriend, I said yes, which was a good thing since I found out later Jon had already told people at the sale I was.
Jon: A little over a year later I asked Crystal to be my wife.