- Elisa Cool
15 years ago, a bright-spirited girl named Kimberly Varnado sat, pen in hand, hair in ponytail, describing her perfect man. Little did she know that just a handful of miles upstate in Bunkie, Louisiana, that young man was celebrating his 14th birthday.
Kimberly wasn’t a boy-crazy teen. This wasn’t a gaggle of giggly girls in the back of a school bus. Kimberly was working on a camp assignment called “Dear Future Husband.” An activity where girls are encouraged to really consider what a meaningful life partner truly looks like. Tomorrow evening she'll walk down the aisle to greet that young man, turned soon-to-be husband, Matt Bordelon.
This multi-part series shares their story.
Life Before Kimberly
Matt couldn’t wait for that first date. He and Kimberly had been talking on the phone since they were introduced. Matt was living in St. Rose, Louisiana just outside of New Orleans. Kimberly up with her family in Denham Springs. She was smart, kind, pretty, easy to talk to, and a good Christian girl. Could this be the lady that made cooking dinner at home more appealing than Bourbon Street?
He spent hours on his phone researching “what to do in Denham.” He landed on the perfect idea for an icebreaker…. bowling. Surely a shared activity would take some of the jitters out, and let Matt’s outgoing personality show through.
Life Before Matt
“I was unlucky in love,” says Kimberly. She’d prayed and prayed on meeting the right guy but had lost some of her optimism. “You know, no guy ever even brought me flowers?” she shared. But, she enjoyed talking with Matt. On their first call they’d gotten on the topic of the perfect vacation destination and answered “Jamaica” in near unison. After that, she found herself easily sharing everything from her how her days went and her hopes and dreams… and Matt returned the favor.
Could Kimberly’s luck be changing? She put on a smile and headed out the door.
Click here for Matt & Kimberly's Story Part II - The First Date
Credits: Photos by Pexels