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Love Story: Team Spirit Unites Two Hearts – Hartford Courant
Starting a master's degree, managing social media for a fitness studio, preparing for a wedding, planning a honeymoon Kristen Cleasby didn't just pack this all into this summer. She is doing it all this month. As a teacher in Hartford for 11 years, she has learned to be efficient with her free summer time.
It was while using her summer time in 2014 that she met Aaron Granahan at the M.E.L.T. Fitness Studio in South Windsor. Kristen teaches fifth grade at the Annie Fisher STEM Magnet School in Hartford and runs an after-school program during the school year. She signed up for group exercise classes at M.E.L.T. in 2013 "because I needed to start taking fitness seriously," Kristen says.
"Most of my summers where spent playing baseball," Aaron says. A native of Thomaston, he played shortstop and second base at Fitchburg State University in Massachusetts while studying Sport and Exercise Science. When he finished his college baseball career, he returned to Connecticut, became certified as a personal fitness trainer and helped launch the M.E.L.T. studio in South Windsor in 2010. M.E.L.T. stands for More Energy, Less Time, in part because of its 30-minute fitness classes.
Kristen, who grew up in South Windsor, went to high school with one of the directors of M.E.L.T. "The whole vibe is all about family. The trainers make you feel like you're part of the team. They know your name," Kristen says. In June 2014, she started working at the studio at night, providing the "team" welcome and signing clients up for classes or personal fitness training.
During the day, she was head teacher at the Connecticut Pre-Engineering Program, a summer-school program focused on math.
Aaron and Kristen laughed a lot when they worked evenings together, and after a client appreciation party at the end of July, they went out together.
Later that summer, Aaron took Kristen to see his hometown and she met his mother. They started dating but kept it quiet at work. "I was a little guarded. ... Part of me was not going to jump in" to a relationship, says Aaron, who had previously been married. But, "I knew there was something special about her."
Aaron's schedule is the opposite of Kristen's. He is awake at 4 a.m. to teach his 5:15, 7 and 8 a.m. classes. After a break of a few hours midday, he returns to teach four more classes at night and work with individual clients as their trainer. He also does his own cardio and weight-lifting workouts to stay in shape.
On Sundays, his day off, "I'm on the Tri-State Baseball League," which still uses wooden bats, Aaron says.
Over the next year, they found time to date and vacation in Jamaica together. "I wasn't serious about it until a year into dating," Aaron says. But last year he was totally committed to Kristen and put a down payment on an engagement ring. He picked it up in October and held onto it for weeks.
He went to Kristen's parents' home and spoke to them about his desire to marry her. "There were times I was tempted to give it to her," Aaron says, but he wanted to make his proposal "special."
Kristen wanted to celebrate her November birthday with her family and friends at the Muse Paintbar in West Hartford, and she picked out a sunset picture for her group to paint together with an instructor.
After they finished painting and were enjoying food and wine, Aaron handed Kristen a canvas wrapped in brown paper. When she opened the scroll, it said: "Kristen, will you marry me?" Aaron got down on one knee, said the same words and gave Kristen the ring. Shortly after, Kristen's best friend, Christian Kemp, who had flown in from California, arrived at the party.
Kristen planned their wedding for July 29. "I didn't want to wait" longer, and they wanted it to be close to the night of their first date in 2014. "It wasn't hard for me because I'm a teacher. I can execute fast," Kristen says. "We knew we wanted it to be romantic and on the water," and Kristen has been in so many weddings she knew where to look.
They will be married outdoors at the Glastonbury Boathouse overlooking the Connecticut River by Justice of the Peace Shelley Schulman. Schulman officiated at a wedding Kristen attended four years ago. "She's not like a regular justice of the peace. I wanted that personalization," Kristen says. She and Aaron are writing their own vows.
Kemp, who works in education and grew up with her identical twin in New Britain, will be Kristen's maid of honor. Aaron's best man, Rich Daddona, has been his friend since third grade.
Kristen started class last week in the University of Connecticut's Administrator Preparation Program PLUS (Preparing Leaders for Urban Schools). She earned her first master's degree in Reading and Languages at the University of Saint Joseph in 2012. She recently stopped working nights at the M.E.L.T. studio, but continues to manage its social media from home.
The bride and groom will take a breather the first week of August at Riviera Maya in Mexico, then head back to baseball and a busy time of the year at Aaron's fitness studio.
Kristen also has a taxing schedule teaching full time, working in after-school programs, taking classes for her degree and selling Rodan and Fields skin-care products.
"During the week it's tough for us," Kristen says, but "it makes us appreciate our time together." Kristen continues to exercise at M.E.L.T. several times a week with Aaron as her personal fitness trainer.
"He commits his blood, sweat and tears to his work. People at the gym love him because of the attention he gives them."
"We have a good mixture" of working together and finding separate time, Aaron says.
"She's my counterbalance. I run hot; she calms me down. Kristen is a very genuine person who truly cares about everything," Aaron says.
"It is what makes both of us work so well together," Kristen says. "We're both a healthy dose of what each other needs. He's very honest person. He gives me the truth no matter what.
"Any kind of down time we have is just for relaxing," she says. In the summer, that includes cooling off in the pool at Kristen's condo complex. "We go to movies, go out on date nights," and get together with their families. Planners that they are, they've already mapped out their vacation for 2018 a cruise with Kristen's family to the Caribbean.
For now, they are happily counting the days to their wedding.
See more here:
Love Story: Team Spirit Unites Two Hearts - Hartford Courant
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