The Jon and Carrie Love Story - Part Casey

From the perspective of my brother. Thanks Casey!!!

I can take a {hint}.

When I got home from Japan, I came home to a different world than what I had remembered. My grandfather died within a week after I returned, sending my parents away for a few days to attend the funeral while I stayed home and recovered (yes, recover...I had lost 60 lbs in a short amount of time due to a parasite). My brother married a girl that I had never met, my little brother was gone on his mission, my oldest sister had a second child while I was gone and was expecting her third in the next month or so- among all of this, Carrie was getting engaged. It's not that I felt sorry for myself, I just had to deal with adjusting to everything and meeting several new members of my growing family. I trusted that everything was in order.

Order? I may have spoke too soon. Then Jon and Carrie showed up. I don't remember if I had even changed out of my suit yet when they came in. I had heard about Jon, but only since I got home. I figured that news that Carrie was seriously dating someone would get to me quickly, even if I was in the Far East, but no news had reached my ears concerning anything of the sort. I, like Carrie, imagined Mr. Talldarkandhandsome (which could easily be a German name) to come strolling in, hand in hand, with my sister. My first impressions of Jon were the typical ones that Carrie has outlined, but my impressions were possibly farther to the extreme because I am 1. a light sleeper and require extreme quiet at night 2. Sometimes when I drive long distances by myself, I don't listen to anything because I enjoy the silence, and 3. I had just returned home from 2 years as a missionary and was in a very contemplative mood. Jon is the auditory opposite of silence. As the saying now goes in the Kennington house: "One can always tell where John is, whether he is sleeping or awake."

The day they came in, they didn't waste much time before having a talk with my parents. I could hear them from the other room. It was, to this day, the most serious I have ever seen Jon, but the anxiety in the meeting slowly turned into relief as the talking continued. After a while I walked by the room to see if anyone would acknowledge my presence.

My parents piped up: "Hey Casey, Jon and Carrie are getting married."

"I figured as much." (Or something like that)

I gave Jon the benefit of the doubt. Whatever the worries might have been concerning Jon, I trusted Carrie's judgment. The fact that he didn't have a degree didn't bother me at all. I probably wouldn't have given it much more thought other than their wedding to come became the #1 talked about thing for the next several months in our home. But most of the things that were said were positive in all regards.

Jon wasn't like my brothers or me at all, but he was sincere and made Carrie laugh. He's a welcome (and probably needed) addition to the Kennington family. >>Continue to part 22