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OUR STORY

HOW WE MET

Early in July, after a full month of Saint Barnabas Arts Camp, Sarah decided to try something new and signed up for the Phoenix 4th of July West Coast Swing dance convention at the Camelback Inn in Paradise Valley. Adrian had registered for the convention months before, having attended the same event the previous year. He decided to take the beginner workshop as a "refresher" with a friend of his from the country dancing scene. If you've never been to a dance workshop before, you might not know that everyone dances with everyone else as people rotate around the room trying new patterns and steps with lots of different partners. For the first 90 minutes of the 3-hour workshop, Adrian's friend refused to let him rotate – she wanted her "dance partner" to stay put.

After the lunch break, Adrian convinced his friend to try dancing with other people so they could both learn more from the experience. Very soon after that, he showed up in front of Sarah, smiled, and made her laugh. After the workshop ended, Adrian came back up to Sarah to chat, asking her to try their new dance skills to the music, and then kept coming back for dance after dance. She mentioned that she had bought a pass for the country dancing classes the next day and hoped that she would see him there. Oh, and she asked for his phone number that first afternoon so they could "keep in touch."

The next afternoon, she had to get her car serviced which took way longer than she expected. She was anxious to get back to the Camelback Inn and see if she could find that guy who had seriously caught her eye the day before. Sarah even told the mechanic, "I need to get out of here. I'm missing a very important dance class." He laughed. When she arrived at the class, it was finishing up but she saw Adrian right away and he came right up to her. She was super apologetic about being late, even though they had no official plans to reunite, and he just smiled and told her not to worry. After the next workshop, they sat outside in the hot July sun and talked for a bit. Just over 24 hours after their first encounter, Sarah said, "I like you a lot. I'd really like to get to know you better." He asked if she might come back for the midnight Swook (Zouk and West Coast Swing) workshop and she said she would try.

Sarah headed home to rest and change and thought about Adrian most of that afternoon as well. She came back for the midnight workshop, not her favorite time of day to take a class, all dressed up and ready to learn. He was there but very few people had shown up for the class. They waited a long time for the instructor to arrive, chatting and asking each other questions about life. Eventually, the class started up and when the dance teacher asked if they were rotating, they looked at each other and said, "No, not this time." Sarah said, "You're stuck with me." He replied, "I'm lucky." Adrian and Sarah consider this their first date.

THE PROPOSAL

In truth, Adrian and Sarah talked about getting married early into their relationship – "when you know, you know," right!? When they woke on New Year's Day, Sarah asked, "What if we tried to get married this year?" Adrian replied, "Tried? Let's just do it." They spent the day doing a little planning. Sarah quickly got out her calendar and figured that May 2 would be the perfect day – Adrian agreed. It just so happens that New Year's Day is also Sarah's grandparents' wedding anniversary – 69 years and counting. Mary Ann and Bill Tomlinson have been constant supporters of Sarah throughout her life. In their old age, Sarah has taken on the role of caring for them along with her mother. Needless to say, they are extremely close, and they have welcomed Adrian into the family with open arms.

After a lovely celebration dinner in the evening, Sarah and Adrian took Mary Ann and Bill home to help them prepare for bed. All four of them sat at the dining room table and Sarah told her doting grandparents that Adrian had something to tell them. Instead of just letting them know their plans, Adrian asked for their blessing. The grandparents were beside themselves with joy, and moments later Bill asked, "May I give the bride away?" With the passing of Sarah's father 5 years before, that made perfect sense and received an enthusiastic "yes" from both Sarah and Adrian. Mary Ann then took a moment to pray for the happy couple for all their days ahead.

The next day, Adrian went to his parents in Surprise after work and asked for his mother's first engagement ring – the one his father had asked her to marry him with. Mary and Larry Imai have been married for more than 40 years, and their devotion has been a guiding light for Adrian. Larry had upgraded her ring on their 25th anniversary, so Mary was happy to give the ring to Adrian to give to Sarah. Larry teased him right away that he was giving Sarah "that little thing," which was all that he could afford when the two of them got engaged as a young couple in El Paso. That evening, Adrian presented the ring to Sarah. It was just right. She knew of its origin and found it dainty and beautiful. Unfortunately, it was the size of a pinkie ring on her (Mary weighed less than 100 pounds on her wedding day), so they got it sized the next day. Sarah is delighted to wear this significant symbol for the rest of her life.

THE ANNOUNCEMENT

On January 4, Adrian and Sarah attended church at Saint Barnabas as they do every Sunday. Sarah led Children's Chapel and then joined Adrian in the Sanctuary at the announcements. Saint Barnabas has a practice of celebrating "birthdays, anniversaries, and other special moments" in the life of the community. Worshipers are asked to come forward for a blessing and the priest prays for them in front of all the congregation. Mary Ann and Bill had planned to go up for their wedding anniversary. Adrian and Sarah helped them get up to the front and stood right next to them in the semi-circle of blessing. There were many couples that morning having their marriages and shared lives blessed.

The Rev. Robert Berra, the priest in charge, Sarah's boss, and a good friend, went around the circle noting anniversaries and birthdays. When he got to Adrian and Sarah, he gave them a confused look and said, "Birthday?" It had been Sarah's birthday the Sunday before, so he thought she might be up there for that but couldn't quite figure out why Adrian would be there too. Sarah said, "Robert," to get his attention again, and held up her left hand to show the ring. Robert was shocked and shouted, "And an engagement!" Although some of the congregation was unaware of who was getting engaged, others knew that Ms. Sarah had finally found her match. Many of the people clapped and then the prayer of blessing began and the good news was public.

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