CYSK: Tim & Laura Gerding
Tim and Laura Gerding talk about their family, their free time, and their favorite fall activities.
How did you meet?
Tim: We met through mutual friends who were dating at the University of Iowa. We went to St. Louis to meet up with them the night before a wedding and ended up dancing. We didn’t go on an actual date until four years later.
Laura: Then Tim looked me up on Myspace. We reconnected and the rest is history!
What was your first date?
T: I asked Laura, who was living in Arkansas at the time, to meet me on the Plaza in Kansas City for dinner and drinks – and more dancing.
What brought you both to Columbia?
T: I was born here. My dad, Bob Gerding, has always lived here, so I lived here every summer growing up. I came back home for law school in 2000 and have been back ever since.
L: I got my journalism degree at MU, moved to Fayetteville for five years after college, then met Tim. He convinced me to come back to Columbia and marry him.
What keeps you busy during the week?
T: Our kids (6-year-old daughter, Eloise, and 8-month-old son, Nile), our careers, and various volunteer activities in the community.
What do you like to do in your free time?
T: I do whatever I want and my wife watches the kids! Ha. Kidding. We both go to MET-Fitness regularly. I play golf and enjoy time with friends. Also, being a fan of the Iowa Hawkeyes takes a commitment.
L: Apple picking and pumpkins are big on my list right now. Besides that, we like to give each other time on the weekend to workout, free of the kiddos. It makes us both nicer! We are close to our families, so we travel to see them pretty often. And sometimes we even sneak in a date or two. I also love to cook.
What is your favorite cultural activity in Columbia?
T: My brother’s company owns The Blue Note and Rose Music Hall operations, and I love live music. We love to take the kids to Rose Park when the weather is nice, share a blanket, and eat some Pepe’s.
L: Watching Marching Mizzou at least once a season and tearing up just a bit when they sing “Old Missouri.” Tom Andes any night at Murry’s.
What is the key to a lasting and healthy relationship?
T: We are still figuring that one out! Marriage is always a work in progress.
L: My dad has always told me that “love is a decision,” and I think he’s right. Also communication, a sense of humor, and God.
What is the best quality of your partner?
T: She is kindhearted as well as a strong career-oriented woman. She calls me out on my “stuff.”
L: He’s a fiercely loyal friend, he works his tail off, and he’s a fantastic dad to our kids.
What does the future hold for the two of you?
T: A man cave for me at some point!
L: Man, that’s a big question! My mom was my age when she passed away after battling cancer, and I’ve been thinking about that a lot lately. I hope we are blessed with a future and a life that is full of laughter, watching our children grow, time with our beloved family members, and growing old together.
What are some of your favorite outdoor activities?
T: Besides golf and tailgating, not mowing the yard!
L: There were a few glorious days I pulled our daughter on a trailer in my bike on the Katy Trail. But these days, a walk around our neighborhood is my favorite.