WeddingMagazine

Katie and Chad

In September 2005, I was a new nurse who’d been selected to be part of a medical relief team being sent to Louisiana to help the victims of Hurricane Katrina. Excited and nervous, I was told to bring enough clothes to carry on my back and that could be “washed in a bucket.”

We were stationed in Lafayette for two-and-a-half weeks. On the second night, I saw Chad Andrist unloading vans. “He must be a wrestler,” I thought. Later, when I saw him, I said, “I was looking for you!” We talked awhile, discovered we were both from southeast Minnesota, and made plans to go to a Cajun festival the next night.

At the festival, we, along with several team members, danced, ate, and had a good time. After that date, we went on nightly walks and out to eat whenever we could find time, since we were working 10-12 hour days caring for the evacuees of Hurricane Katrina, providing medical treatment in makeshift shelters, schools, and anywhere else we found people. Once, we were working in a shelter that had been converted from an old garage. The temperature was well over 90 degrees daily, and it was very humid. A church was set up on one half of the garage, while the other half was open. The church side was air-conditioned. The half that was not held evacuees who were hot, tired, and needed care. Babies and children played on the greasy floor. Chad and I felt torn. We wanted to say to the leader of that church, “Get those people inside to rest!”  We will never forget the stories we heard and the people we met there. Even though the work was very hard and emotional, it was rewarding. And it was the place we fell in love. I often thought, “I am hot, sweaty, with no make-up on, my hair is not done, and this guy likes me. He must be the one!” Chad’s version is, “She saw me and said, ‘I gotta have that guy!’”

We’ve been together ever since, and we are blessed in many ways. We went to Louisiana to give to others and to do good work, and God gave us each other.  

BUSINESSES: The Creative Side (Floral and Décor), Faith Lutheran Church, Dodge Center (Ceremony), Dodge Country Club (Reception), Metal Bird Media (Photography & Videography), and Driven (DJ)