Our first date went well. I took Julia to a little gelato shop in downtown Gainesville, and we went for a walk afterward. At one point, Julia rushed ahead and announced, “I want a life of adventure!” and I thought that was so cute. It was a very simple, but enjoyable date. Yet, when I followed up and said that I’d like to go out again, Julia responded, “I had a good time too, but I have to figure things out with God first.” I had no idea what that meant. I spent the rest of the evening discussing it with the guys I lived with. Everyone had different theories, but no one had any clue that she was considering becoming a nun.
JULIA LOVES SUSHI!
After a group dinner with a whole bunch of people from St. Augustine’s, I was still trying to figure out how to get a second date with Julia. While chatting with her and some friends, I mentioned that I had only ever had sushi from a grocery store, until very recently. She was sort of appalled that it took me so long to get REAL sushi. I told her that Fuji Sushi, where I had recently gone with my coworkers, was really good, and I’d love to take her there sometime. It was just the in I needed, and Julia agreed to a second date.
That date, she had me try sashimi (pictured above), which is raw fish sans rice for those unfamiliar with sushi. I thought it would be so gross! But, I wanted to impress her and tried it anyway. Turns out, it was delicious! We had a great time continuing to chat and getting to know each other better.
You want to be a nun?!?
On the way home, I got a huge surprise. Julia said, “I just want you to know, I am seriously considering Religious Life.” I honestly had no idea what to think, but now I knew what “figure things out with God first” meant.
I went home to Ohio for a two week vacation after that conversation, and thought about it over and over. When I got back, Julia and I discussed it at length. She expressed that she didn’t know if God was calling her to Religious Life as a nun, or Marriage, and she didn’t want to shut out God’s plan without being very sure. She offered that if I would be open to whatever God called her to, and if I could handle the uncertainty, she would be my girlfriend. Thus, that night, we started officially dating.