How We Met
I first met Mike when he took my food and history tour on Balboa Island with some friends. During the tour, Mike was always standing near me or trying to start a conversation. I was oblivious at the time, and just thought he was really interested in the history of the tour. Once it ended, his group took me out to lunch, which is where Mike asked for my number. Still oblivious, I thought he just wanted to invite me to hangout with him AND his friends. Well, he asked me on a date and I said no! I was enjoying being single and never dated someone I did not know.
Fast forward to three months; I decided I was ready to find someone, so I downloaded a dating app. I ended up matching with a cute guy that looked familiar, but I could not figure out why! That night I went out to the bars and ran into the group of friends that took my tour. At that moment, it clicked! The cute guy I matched with was Mike, the guy that took my tour! He asked me out again, saying how he had not stopped thinking about me. I decided to say yes, and we had our first date. Mike took me back to the restaurant we met, The Village Inn on Balboa Island. It was an amazing first date! I felt as if I knew him my entire life. We soon went on another date, and then another. On the third date, we had our first kiss, and that was when I knew I would eventually marry him.
After being together for two years, we got our first apartment! We continued to grow our love for each other, and after our first year of living together, we adopted our fur baby, Bodie! We became a happy little family of three! In November we moved to a nicer apartment, and then in December, the best day of our lives happened!
Mike is the most amazing man. He makes me happy when I don’t want to be, makes me smile when I want to cry, and loves me even when I don’t always love myself. I had lost my job, and he made sure to always support me in believing I could find something better, which I did! He is my best friend, my favorite travel buddy, and my favorite person.
How They Asked
Every year around Christmas, my family has a holiday tradition. We always do something different, but we always look at lights and have dinner. It is a night where we just get to spend time together. This year, my mom planned for us to go to Balboa Island to look at the Christmas lights. It was just a normal night, or so I thought.
We walked on the island and made our way to The Village Inn, which is where Mike and I met and had our first date! We do go to the restaurant fairly often, so it was not odd that we would be eating there. We all ordered dinner, and I got their famous clam chowder! Everyone has their food except for me…they said it took longer than expected. They brought out this little pot with a lid on it, and when I open the lid I am in shock. There is a little black box with the most beautiful ring sitting in it. I look at Mike with tears in my eyes and the biggest smile on my face.
Mike is on one knee, grabs my hand, and gives his speech. I think I blacked out from the excitement, but I know everything he said was from the heart. He then asked me to spend the rest of my life with him, and I said YES! Everyone in the restaurant started cheering, and the staff popped a bottle of champagne. The best part was that my family was there for it. Mike always said he wanted it to be just us, and he knew I would have loved having my family a part of it.
It was THE best night of my life. After that third date, I knew this day would come, but I never imagined it being so perfect. I can’t not wait to see what the future has in store for us! 2020 is the year we are planning to get married, and I can not wait for that year to come!
