How I Met Your Father

Kids, I’m going to go ahead and just get this first photo out of the way, so that by the end of this post your stomach muscles will have kicked the lid off the tickle box and burned it down.

Bev and Aaron

As the date above shows, this was the year 2000. (said like Conan) But it didn’t start there.

It all began in August of 1998, in the Ryan’s Buffet parking lot in Fayetteville, AR. I’ll also just get this out of the way: I was dating his best friend. I know, snap, right? But nothing scandalous happened and all is well and we’re all still super close and one of my dearest friends is his wife! We’ve all been in each others’ weddings and our babies are all going to be bffs and blah blah.

Bev and Aaron

Between the years of 1998 and 2004 we were total buds. I always thought he was way fine, but didn’t give it a second thought. He was off limits. No can do, dood.

To make a long story really long, he attended school here in KC at the Art Institute, while I was finishing my college career at the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville. (please don’t ask me to call the Hogs. because I might.)

Bev and Aaron

After a short stint in Utah to be a snow bum, he moved to Fayetteville to be in a parody country band, which ended up quickly morphing into a well-respected indie Southern band. Three-part harmonies, jangly guitars, songs of love lost, GAH. I loved that band.

At the same time I was playing bass and singing in a shoegazer, Dandy Warhols-style band, Tyko. Our two little bands shared a space on our hometown label, so we constantly played shows on the same bill, and even did a smidge of touring together. Being in a band in your 20s is awesome. Now? HA.

I’m not in a band anymore. My feet hurt, man.

Also, babies.

This photo is kind of blurry. You’ve been drinking, haven’t you?

Bev and Aaron

After dating circles around each other for years, still being jus frans, the bands fizzled and he quickly decided to move back to KC to get a job and be all adulty or whatever.

I remember being all, “Weidner! You can’t move, dude. Come on!” And him, “I knoooow.”

Then he moved.

Bev and Aaron

Then came March 27th, 2004. The Paper Hearts had a hugely-hyped reunion show at our favorite indie bar (RIP, JR’s), and I wore an extremely high ponytail, a short black pleated skirt, black tank and the longest strand of white pearls ya evah did see. The show was beyond fabulous, packed to the gills, and I only had one beer!

hashtaglies.

After the show, I was back by the merch table when Aaron walked up to check on CD sales. Me, “Weidner! There’s an after party, see you there?” Him, “Who are you?”

The end.

Just kidding.

Bev and Aaron

At the after party, Aaron and I somehow found ourselves in this super jank Blair Witchy basement, sitting on a dirty mattress, passing an acoustic guitar back and forth. After a few hours (back when you could stay up all night and not look like the Wicked Witch of Dog Butt took a bat to your face), the black skies shifted to baby blue. Having left my car at the bar, Aaron and I hopped in his doorless, roofless jeep and headed out to address the rumblies in our tumblies (I watch a lot of Winnie the Pooh these days).

We ended up at a crusty, smokey, 24-hour diner called Pete’s Place. We sat for two hours, drank motor oil, I mean coffee, ate a bowl of bacon grease, analyzed our fresh breakups, his life in KC, my job at the bank, the blood vessel that had just burst in my eye.

No seriously, I looked like a vampire hooker.

Bev and Aaron

Full on sugar and carbs, he drove the empty, sleepy roads back to my apartment. But he didn’t leave.

“Why is he still here,” I kept thinking. Not like, ew gross get away, but more like, what is going on here, and where is my deodorant?

I had a third of a bottle of red wine left in my kitchen, so we started a pot of coffee and finished the wine. Awesome? Disgusting? I’ll let you pick.

We got cozy on my thrifted green couch, in my Amelie-obsessed vibrant red and green apartment. Changing out CD after CD, Iron and Wine, My Bloody Valentine, Sun Kil Moon, we geeked out over this harmony, the fuzz on that guitar, lyrics that make you want to break your own heart.

All the while, he kept getting closer . . . and closer . . . and closer.

It was then that he snuggled behind me, shirtless, with my hands on the melting clay pot, his fingers interweaving with my fingers, getting lost together in the cla – oh wait. That’s Ghost. Sorry.

Bev and Aaron

When we were finally sitting hip to hip on the couch, I shot a quick, curious glance his way. He gently smiled. He leaned towards me. He kissed me. One kiss. One single kiss to my lips. That was it. He pulled his head back slightly, looked me right in my good eye and whispered, “You’ve got to move to Kansas City.” Me, “I know.”

Two weeks later, I’d quit my job, packed my entire life into a small U-Haul, and moved to Kansas City to be with Aaron.

Here’s a photo from our wedding day.

Bev and Aaron

Wait! Crap. I always do this. That’s not it.

Here we go.

Bev and Aaron

Ten years, one basement apartment, one downtown warehouse loft, one house, one indie band, three albums, 82853 hairstyles, one Charlie dog, and two sweet gremlin babies later, we’re still sharing that acoustic guitar. Only this time we’re not on a dirty mattress. It’s much cleaner. Much newer. Well, the one in our bedroom is only three years old, so we’re good there. But the one in our guest bedroom could probably be replaced. I have no idea how old that thing is now. But I put this down mattress pad thingy on it, so hopefully it’s not th – oh. You’re gone.

The end.

p.s. you can find our music (The New Tragedies) on Itunes and Spotify!

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64 Responses to How I Met Your Father

  1. Katie July 30, 2014 at 10:35 pm #
    Ugh. I love this and you so much.
  2. Wendi July 30, 2014 at 10:39 pm #
    I can now go to bed all twitterpated (and a bit envious). Gorgeous couple, lovely, lovely story. Thanks for sharing!
  3. Ashley Austin July 30, 2014 at 10:56 pm #
    Amazing. I love it.
  4. Sune Moolman July 31, 2014 at 3:39 am #
    Thanks for sharing. Your kids are gonna love this! ;)
  5. Patricia July 31, 2014 at 5:09 am #
    So sweet and fun... like you! :) I loved reading it!!!
  6. Jessica July 31, 2014 at 6:06 am #
    THIS IS PROBABLY MY FAVORITE POST OF ALL TIME. (along with all the fat baby rolls.)
  7. Carla July 31, 2014 at 6:29 am #
    You are so cute. Love your sense of humor. Thank you for sharing. Enjoy those babies, they truly do grow up so fast.
  8. Brian @ A Thought For Food July 31, 2014 at 6:47 am #
    And. Heart. Bursting. Everywhere. Love every moment of this story... Told so tenderly. And ten years. Yowza!
  9. Liz @ The Lemon Bowl July 31, 2014 at 6:50 am #
    Hashtagyouaresocuteicantstandit. Best. Post. Ever. <3
  10. Wendy July 31, 2014 at 7:53 am #
    Gorgeous story, gorgeous couple. Happy Anniversary!!
  11. Cassie July 31, 2014 at 8:01 am #
    You two are so sweet. Also, your facial expressions always win.
  12. Erica B July 31, 2014 at 8:07 am #
    I'm thinking you should recreate most, if not all, of those shots but with the babies.
  13. Rosemary July 31, 2014 at 8:12 am #
    i Just love you. That. Is All.
  14. Miss @ Miss in the Kitchen July 31, 2014 at 8:16 am #
    This is the best. Can't wait to meet you at Chopped Con.
  15. Stacey I July 31, 2014 at 8:20 am #
    You guys are totally awesome! And seriously - could you two be any more good looking??? Love your blog Bev - and those sweet little gremlins :)
  16. Julie @ Table for Two July 31, 2014 at 8:24 am #
    This is the best thing ever. You guys - all love <3
  17. Amy @Very Culinary July 31, 2014 at 8:50 am #
    Hell, I'D marry you. The best.
  18. Chris July 31, 2014 at 8:54 am #
    Love your writing - you are so entertaining! And your babies, just wow! As adorable as can be. They will love this (and all your beautiful food)!
  19. Michelle @ Healthy Recipe Ecstasy July 31, 2014 at 8:58 am #
    God your life. It's like a movie. I love this. :)
  20. Amy July 31, 2014 at 9:18 am #
    Love this, Bev! P.S. You rock all the hair styles.
  21. Stephanie Hanson July 31, 2014 at 9:23 am #
    I love your storytelling...and this story is so sweet that I want to cry in my yogurt. Seriously - what an amazing love story. Your babies are very lucky!!
  22. Jackie July 31, 2014 at 9:30 am #
    I adore your blog, you, your babies, you and Aaron as an entity -- is this creepy? Don't care. Thank you so much for sharing your story with us!
  23. Corinne July 31, 2014 at 9:36 am #
    this post was amazing! Loved all the great photos :)
  24. Katie July 31, 2014 at 9:44 am #
    Well that is just wonderful. I love love! And to second the comment above, you HAVE managed to rock all the hairstyles...impressive.
  25. Cookbook Queen July 31, 2014 at 9:49 am #
    Oh my gosh, I love this so much. You two are the cutest ever. My husband and I met in a bar. Six months later I was pregnant. Eleven years later, we are old and have a ten year old and good grief, isn't life the weirdest?
  26. Betsy July 31, 2014 at 9:58 am #
    So cute! Put a smile to my face this morning :)
  27. Connie July 31, 2014 at 10:09 am #
    Loved this! And I love that you reference pop culture so much, probably one of my favorite things when it comes to your posts!
  28. Darcy July 31, 2014 at 10:36 am #
    Awww - happy anniversary!
  29. Ashley July 31, 2014 at 10:38 am #
    I just turned to mush.
  30. Raechel July 31, 2014 at 10:41 am #
    I would buy the shit out of any book you would write. I absolutely love this story. Thanks for sharing!
  31. Caitlin July 31, 2014 at 11:06 am #
    I love everything about this!! Quit making my heart feel like this!
  32. Erica @ Fulfillment From Scratch July 31, 2014 at 11:33 am #
    So fantastic, don't ever stop writing! Seriously loved your story. ASLO, WHAT is the story behind the photo on the red and white and black retro alice-in-wonderland couch? It is a fantastic (my favorite) photo of you two.
    • Bev Weidner July 31, 2014 at 11:52 am #
      Thank you! That photo is actually one of the promo shots for one of our New Tragedies albums. One thing I didn't dive into was that once I moved to KC, I joined Aaron's band, as the bass player and singer. So after all that time, he and I ended up making music together! (me = cheesy) You can find our stuff on itunes and Spotify!
  33. Emily @ Life on Food July 31, 2014 at 11:34 am #
    Someday your kids will realize how cool your are.
  34. Kristen July 31, 2014 at 11:40 am #
    What a sweet love story! So so perfect :)
  35. Sarah July 31, 2014 at 12:06 pm #
    A very cute story! Congratulations on finding true love. Here's to many more!
  36. Leslie July 31, 2014 at 12:28 pm #
    I'm just going to echo everyone above and say that you are a fantastic writer. You made my heart melt into a little bucket of mush. Thank you so much for sharing.
  37. Rachel Cooks July 31, 2014 at 12:57 pm #
    I just love this. So stinking perfect.
  38. Alissa Apel July 31, 2014 at 1:15 pm #
    I was an RA with Aaron at Kansas City Art Institute. I saw this link on his FB page. Such a sweet story. I loved it.
  39. Melissa @ Treats With a Twist July 31, 2014 at 1:32 pm #
    I love that you shared this. And I love that we have the same hometown so I feel like I could've been right there too. Crazy.
  40. Sarah @ The Chef Next Door July 31, 2014 at 1:47 pm #
    Loved hearing your story and seeing your pics!
  41. Kelli H (Made in Sonoma) July 31, 2014 at 4:08 pm #
    best story teller ever. off to listen to your musica.
  42. Gina July 31, 2014 at 5:15 pm #
    I LOVED this!! Thanks so much for sharing! I've been following you for two years now and I always wanted to know how Aaron and you met. You're so good telling stories!! And I love your babies. They're the most precious love chunks I've ever seen. (Also... I met a guy when I was 16, he became my best friend, three years later we fell in love and we planned having twins hahaha but after 3 years we're over but I always love to hear about best buds who fell in love. So good)
  43. Amy July 31, 2014 at 8:19 pm #
    Oh man. Love it. Love Iron and Wine. The end!!!
  44. Jenny July 31, 2014 at 9:06 pm #
    Happy Anniversary!! 10 years, insane. Keep on keeping on!!
  45. Kylie July 31, 2014 at 9:41 pm #
    THANK YOU! I loved every second of it. Just as hilarious and perfect as I thought it would be.
  46. Cait July 31, 2014 at 10:49 pm #
    This was by far the best "how i met my spouse" story I've ever heard. I had no idea you had such an interesting life story - I feel like it should be made into a movie!!
  47. Kate August 1, 2014 at 8:27 am #
    Gahhhh, Bev, this is so sweet. So sweet!
  48. dervla August 1, 2014 at 11:11 am #
    this is amazing, loved this! And you two look gorgeous.
  49. Lori August 1, 2014 at 5:49 pm #
    That was fun. :) I thought at the outset, "I know the bare bones of this story... now for the details!" And the details were so cute. Love it. :D
  50. Kayle (The Cooking Actress) August 3, 2014 at 1:42 pm #
    This is the coolest, most indie rock, sweetest, most romantic-est story ever. The end. <3! ((btw I fully stalk your instagram and occasionally your blog posts thanks to Jess from How Sweet sooooo....sorry? lol)
  51. Mallory @forkvsspoon August 4, 2014 at 4:07 pm #
    you two couldn't be any cuter...love the story and the photos! Too stinking sweet!
  52. Amy @ Thoroughly Nourished Life August 4, 2014 at 6:32 pm #
    A love story like no other, told by a storyteller who has a way with words and humour like no other. So stinking cute :)
  53. Erin @ The Spiffy Cookie August 5, 2014 at 10:50 am #
    Love this story! And totally loading up Spotify to find your music NOW!
  54. Sarah @ People,Places&Plates August 6, 2014 at 3:38 pm #
    "looked me right in my good eye..." HAHA
  55. Julie August 7, 2014 at 11:33 am #
    Love this story!!
  56. Stacey August 8, 2014 at 1:15 am #
    SO MANY THINGS! You're way too pretty and y'all are both ridiculously good looking. No wonder the twins are THE CUTEST. Your Instagram is the very best. I love good love stories. Thanks a million for sharing! I just bought y'all's newer album on iTunes. Super different from my usual, musically, but so good and hauntingly beautiful that I couldn't resist. Reminds me of that cd that Allison Krauss and Robert Plant have, but 500 million times better. Hope that's not inadvertently offensive to people who KNOW music, but your sound is so great!
  57. Heather August 9, 2014 at 9:50 pm #
    Love love love! I love your love!
  58. Sharon | Cheesy Pennies August 12, 2014 at 6:57 pm #
    I feel that Neil Patrick Harris should play you in the TV show of this. Which will inevitably happen. Happiest of anniversaries!
  59. Lindsay @ The Live-In Kitchen August 15, 2014 at 4:47 pm #
    That is so sweet. Music has a way of drawing people together like nothing else can. You two are beautiful together!
  60. cynthia August 21, 2014 at 8:58 am #
    This is one of the best things I've read in SUCH a long time. Thank you for starting my Thursday in the best way possible :) Love your blog, Bev!
  61. Nettie Moore August 24, 2014 at 6:53 pm #
    Bev, you and your family are too adorbs, love your posts! Nettie
  62. Lindsey Stephens October 30, 2014 at 10:55 pm #
    You're hilarious!! Love you and your family and your recipes and your music... Can we just hang out already?

Trackbacks/Pingbacks

  1. Monthly Mixtape: Couple Skate - Bev Cooks - February 2, 2016 […] girlfriends (holla, Michelle!) the blending that occurs is almost hypnotic. But when I sing with Aaron, it absolutely transcends. Sometimes after a show, Aaron would describe closing his eyes, and being […]

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