Meet Your Teacher: Megan Madden

Josh and I first met in high school when I was 15, and he was 17. Josh played sports, and I loved anything that had to do with theater, dancing, and singing. During his senior year, our mutual friend convinced Josh to try out for the spring musical. And that’s where our story began.

We spent long hours after school rehearsals chatting away and becoming the best of friends. The show came and went, and prom was on the horizon. Josh went with one of our friends, and I went with another senior. When we saw each other at prom, we suddenly realized we really liked each other. That was the night Josh asked for my number.

A few days later was our friend’s 18th birthday party that we helped plan. After threatening to throw me in the pool, various friend drama, and chatting around the camp fire, it came time for me to go. As we said goodbye, Josh and I made our relationship official. That led us to spend the entire summer together visiting art museums, the aquarium, having picnics, and walking along the reservoir by my house. We spent most of our time arguing about a very important obstacle: I was Catholic and he was Protestant. We went back and forth with various faith topics and in the midst of it found that we had fallen head over heels in love; so much so that two weeks into it Josh said, “Megan, I’m going to marry you!” ….(I thought he was crazy).

But our happily ever after was still a ways away. In the fall my father announced that we were moving to Athens, Greece. My dad works for the State Department and he accepted his first overseas post during my last couple years in high school. I was devastated. My relationship with Josh quickly came to an end, and I moved away. But the whole, “us not being together thing,” just didn’t work out.

About a year later, after a lot of life experiences, as well as Josh’s personal conversion to the Catholic Church (Yay!), we contacted one another. I flew out from Athens to Mount St. Mary’s University, where he was currently studying to see him, um, I mean visit the school. When we saw each other we knew we had to be together again. I decided to attend Mount St. Mary’s in the fall, and by the time I was a sophomore we were engaged. Josh graduated and got a job at a local Parish.  I graduated early so that we could be married on October 8, 2011. Over 4 years and 2 children later….here we are. My husband is without a doubt, my very best friend! Megan Madden