OUR STORY:

Katie and Sean met at St. John's School in Newburgh, Indiana in 1984.  Katie's family moved to Newburgh in the middle of the school year, so she was the "New Kid" in Sean's 3rd Grade Class.

Half way through the following school year, Sean's family got transferred to Raleigh, North Carolina.  They remained in Raleigh for almost two years.  Sean's family then got transferred back to the Newburgh area, where Sean got to attend St. John's once again for sixth and seventh grade.

Shortly before the St. John's Winter Dance (December 1988), Sean passed Katie a note saying, "Will You Go With Me?"  Katie agreed, and Sean and Katie became Boyfriend and Girlfriend that day. 

Katie and Sean spent a lot of their free time together.  The McCarthy's and Hellmann's were good friends from church and school, so there were many trips taken between their two houses. 

Shortly before the end of 7th grade (June 1989), Sean's family found out that they would be moving to Fremont, California (Bay Area) because Sean's Dad was taking a new job.  The McCarthy's spent their last evening in Newburgh with the Hellmann's.  Sean and Katie stayed up late that evening; both wondering what would happen once he moved away.

While Sean was in California, he and Katie would send countless letters and call on "special occasions" (birthdays, Christmas, etc.)  Even though they weren't still "Boyfriend & Girlfriend", they always felt a special bond and remained close friends.

The McCarthy's moved back to the Midwest during the summer of 1991.  They relocated to Palatine, Illinois where Sean attended his last three years of high school.  During that same period, the Hellmann's moved to Fort Wayne, Indiana, where Katie went to high school.

Sean attended the University of Illinois in Champaign, Illinois, while Katie attended the University of Dayton in Dayton, Ohio.  Throughout their college years, Sean and Katie always kept in touch.  They would send letters and call each other every now and then.  Even though they hadn't seen each other in a long time, when they spoke, it was like they had never been apart.

After Graduation, Katie was in Dayton in preparing for her move to Cincinnati and her first teaching job.  Sean had accepted a job with GTE at their headquarters in Dallas, Texas.  Sean was back in Palatine for two weeks before he had to move to Texas and start his job.

Katie bought Sean a graduation card to send him her congratulations and her thoughts on their unique relationship. Katie just couldn't believe that they had stayed friends all these years, without seeing each other in all of that time.  She thought that if they hadn't seen one another while they were only three and a half hours apart, that once Sean moved to Dallas, they might never see each other again.  She was hoping seeing each other would answer a lot of the questions she had about their special connection.  The card also let him know that she would be in Chicago in a few weeks for a fundraiser and she hoped that they could meet up. 

After writing out the card, she wasn't sure which address to send it to.  So, she called his parent's house in Palatine expecting to talk to his parents.  However, when Sean answered the phone, she was pleasantly surprised.  She let him know she was going to be up in Chicago for a fundraiser being held at a bar in the city and she thought that it would be a great time to see him and catch up.  They were both excited by the prospect of being able to see each other for the first time in ten years.

When Sean asked the date for the event, Katie told him June 19th, 1998.  Sean replied that he was moving to Dallas on June 15th.  They were both upset and the phone was quiet for a few minutes.  They knew that they would be missing out on a rare opportunity.

Shortly after the conversation, Katie put the card in the mail.  She wanted to send the card anyway, because it said a lot of important things about their friendship.  Sean got the card three days later.  When he read what Katie wrote, he realized that they needed to see each other.  He called her that evening, and said that he was coming to see her the next day.  Sean drove from Chicago to Dayton to see Katie for the first time in Ten Years.  When he walked through her front door and saw her smiling face, he knew that he was meant to be there.  It was as if no time had passed.

Sean and Katie talked and laughed for three straight days.  When it was over, they both knew that there was still something special between them.

Sean moved to Dallas, and Katie moved to Cincinnati.  They had a long distance relationship for two years, until both Katie and Sean moved to Chicago. 

On June 6th, 2003, Sean proposed to Katie in Chicago.  Katie said "Yes", and they are getting married on April 17th, 2004. 

The Beginning.