Throwback Thursday: A Love Story

If you've read my About Me, you know my husband and I met in San Diego while we were both there on vacation. But let me take it back just a bit, because it will always be one of my favorite stories.

My BFF Sarah and I had just finished our sophomore year at Arizona State and were planning to take a weekend trip to San Diego later in the summer. However, due to unforeseen circumstances (and fate), we had to bump up our trip. So basically we decided “let’s go to San Diego THIS WEEKEND!” I remember going into the restaurant we worked at and telling our boss we wouldn’t be there for our Saturday & Sunday shifts because YOLO (and he didn’t fire us!).

We always stayed at the Banana Bungalow, which is a youth hostel right on the beach, where aside from the obvious, (meeting my future husband) some of my favorite memories were made. As soon as we checked in, we headed straight for the beach. As we're laying there, I can see the deck of the hostel, and I notice a super cute guy. I point him out to Sarah, and then, I take a picture of him. I wish so many times I still had that picture! But after Erik & I started talking and spending time together in SD, I became super paranoid that he would ask to see my camera to look at the pictures I've taken; then he would come across the picture I snapped of him on the beach and think I was a huge creeper. (No, of course he never asked to look at my camera and I kick myself for deleting that pic, because now I think it'd be so fun to have! Oh well).

That night, the bungalow hosted a party. Out on the deck, we noticed the cute guy from the beach was sitting by himself, and Sarah persuaded me to go talk to him. So I worked up some courage and sat down next to him, but as soon as I did, he got up and walked away. Erik swears to this day he was so exhausted that he never even noticed me approach him that first time.

The next day, Sarah and I headed back to the beach, with a kite. After realizing we can't fly a kite to save our lives, we went back to the bungalow. This is when Erik & I first “really” met. I don't remember exactly how we started talking, but when he mentioned he was from Washington, I told him I had a good friend who lived in Bellevue. He said, "only millionaires live in Bellevue." To which I responded, "I only hang out with millionaires,” and he proceeded to tell me he was a “half-millionaire” (instant soulmates). He offered to share the french fries he was eating with me, I was starving and love fries, so I dug right in. 

the first picture of us // May 2009

For the rest of our long weekend there, we spent a lot of time together. One night we walked to the bay with a blanket and a bottle of champagne and had a picnic, I made him a seashell necklace with the string from the stupid kite we couldn't fly, he made me a "bomblette" (a bomb omelette), and of course there was the "seaweed man." While Sarah and I were laying on the beach, Erik covered himself in seaweed and jumped on top of me (as you’ve probably gathered, we’ve always been so romantic).

After we left, I wasn't sure if I'd ever see/hear from Erik again (I was living in Arizona, he was living in Washington). But the next day, he texted me (on my Blackberry, LOL). And we texted or talked on the phone every day until I went to visit him in WA in mid-July. He told me he might be starting school at the University of Arizona in the fall. After I got back from WA, we continued talking, and I hoped every day he would tell me he'd be coming to AZ. And one day, he finally did! I was soooooooo happy. He moved here in late August and we started "officially" dating soon after that.

My life has gotten better every day since then. I truly believe it was fate we met that day in San Diego. We're now married and still living in Tucson with our daughter, and I couldn’t be happier! 

How did you meet your significant other?! I love a good love story. ;)