How We Met
The story differs depending on which one of us you ask! We both grew up in the same town, Paterson, NJ, and went to the same high school academy, but were just mere acquaintances. The only memory I have of him was on my fifteenth birthday, I visited the school’s convenience store where Pahlevi and his twin brother would attend at times. A friend shared it was my birthday, and I still remember their witty comment and giving me the chocolate chip cookies as a birthday treat! However, if you ask him, he will go on and say that as Mr. Popular and captain of multiple sports teams, I was just another girl wanting his attention; did I mention he’s a funny man?!
Pahlevi and I are two years apart and went on to different colleges yet continued to follow each other on social media. After college, I relocated to Miami, FL. He would occasionally leave comments under my traveling photos or comment on my “cool” shoes. Five years later I moved back to New Jersey.
I posted a photo at my brother’s college graduation and Pahlevi sent me a message asking if I had officially moved back to New Jersey and appointed himself as the “Welcome back to Jersey committee.” We kept messaging each other, and intrigued with his wittiness and sense of humor, we exchanged phone numbers and have been inseparable ever since. From jet skiing in the Hudson River on our first official date to him proposing in one of the most incredible places in the world, Cappadocia, Turkey, this has truly been one of my wildest dreams.
Our conversations had depth and purpose and we instantly connected on many different levels. I knew I had found my soulmate. One of the things we share is a love for travel and having been able to visit and experience many countries together. We have traveled to France, Canada, Mexico, the Netherlands, and a few Caribbean islands. Unfortunately, once the pandemic came around, our yearly travel plans were placed on indefinite hold.
How They Asked
He took it upon himself to plan our first trip post-pandemic and would not share any information. He has a great eye for fashion as well so, not only was he planning the trip, but he was also picking some of my outfits! As you can imagine, we got into a few arguments because… how am I supposed to know what to pack for a surprise trip?!
On our way to the airport, he finally shared we were going to Turkey, and I was ecstatic! Pahlevi has always been very forward with his intentions to marry me, and I always knew he would go above and beyond to make me feel like the luckiest and most loved woman on earth. Ironically, I did not see this coming!
We started our adventure in Istanbul, and while there, I even planned some of our excursions; another reason why I thought this was just another awesome trip after almost two years without traveling. After several days in Istanbul, we hopped on a plane and landed in Turkey’s magical land of Cappadocia! We explored the town, ate delicious food, and stayed at the highest rooftop cave hotel there. Pahlevi mentioned we would ride a hot air balloon in the early morning and a taxi would be picking us up at five in the morning. The taxi driver was friendly and very knowledgeable and almost seemed like our own private tour guide. He promised to quickly take us to one of Cappadocia’s famous locations to capture the best views of hot air balloons ascending with the sunrise but assured us we would still make it on time for our hot air balloon lift.
We were astonished by the magical views and started taking photos. However, after a few minutes, the “taxi driver” turned into a photographer, started joking around with poses, and taking some of our pictures. When I turned around, the man that I love was on one knee, reciting a poem he wrote for us back in the Summer of 2017… And just like that surrounded by Cappadocia’s picturesque skies, we got engaged! From there, Pahlevi had already scheduled three different photoshoots, hired a dress rental company, and had his tuxedo ready. We ended our amazing and unforgettable trip at Cappadocia’s Luxurious Museum Hotel!
