How We Met
It was June the summer after my senior year of high school and I was so excited to join Facebook and most importantly, start my life as a college student at the University of Arizona. John, who wants to be friends with everybody, started a group for our dorm, Coronado, so people could start getting to know each other before we arrived in the fall. I joined the group and a few days later he messaged me, “Hey neighbor.” I didn’t think much of it at the time, but apparently I had my room number listed on my profile, which John still likes to give me a hard time about. It retrospect, I guess it was a good thing I did because he was intrigued by the fact that a “cute girl” was going to be only 5 doors down the hall from him. We messaged back and forth a few times and then he asked me what kind of computer I had.
I had just gotten one of the white MacBooks with the camera on the front and within minutes of me answering him, his face appeared on my screen! I was in complete shock, so confused, but so excited about seeing and hearing the guy I had been talking to. That first night, we iChatted until the sun came up – around 6 hours or so. We talked about everything from our families, music, friends, college, and we both instantly felt connected to each other. We ended up iChatting, calling and texting almost every day until school started, meeting each other’s friends and family through the screen, and falling in love. In August, it was time to head to Tucson and all I could think about was FINALLY getting to meet John in person.
I’ll never forget unpacking in my dorm room with my mom when I heard her look up and say “oh my gosh, hi!!!” I quickly looked in my doorway to see the boy I’d been talking to for all those months, much taller than I had imagined and so unbelievably cute. I scanned him up and down, still trying to grasp that it was him, and then quickly ran to give him a hug. We were both shaking, grasping each other tight.
That first night I made him lay with me in my twin XL bed and watch my favorite movie, My Best Friend’s Wedding, on my laptop. Knowing him now, that’s the last thing John would have wanted to do, but he did it just to be with me. I’ll never forget the instant comfort and connection of being with him, which has only gotten better with time. A move to LA, a few breaks to “find ourselves”, a dog, a home and ten years later, we are making it official.
how they asked
Sooo I had been hoping and praying it was going to happen this day. We have weddings like every weekend until the end of the year so the dates were limited, and I knew he wanted to propose before the end of the year. We had talked about it all the time and flirt about it, but the last month or so it totally died down. Our 10 year anniversary was August 16 and when I asked if he wanted to celebrate he said, “yeah, how about the Friday before your mom comes” which was two weeks after our anniversary. We just moved so my mom was already coming in town to help organize and do mom stuff. Anyway, I thought it was weird that he was so specific about when we should celebrate and I wanted to believe that was why but I didn’t want to make myself crazy and dwell on it.
I woke up on Friday and NO ONE is being weird to me. Not my parents, sister, friends, John, so I’m like well I guess it’s not happening because I know my friends and family and they would be acting weird to me. I was so bummed. I literally laid in bed and watched the OJ Simpson trial all day. I finally got up and met him at his office where we got in an Uber. I notice we’re going to Beverly Hills so I’m trying to think of every place possible… we end up at Tomoko Spa which has been my DREAM for like 4 years. We do the whole Japanese experience – foot massage, regular 60 minute couples’ massage, bath, shower, and then it’s time for sushi (they bring you our favorite sushi: Sugar fish). The trays come and I notice the ring box right away. I am staring at it and kept thinking “ok don’t freak out it kind of looks like a soy sauce or rice box” but then he grabs it right when the people leave after dropping it off.
He’s been so calm the entire night and then all of the sudden his voice starts shaking and cracking and he was SO nervous!! He said like 2 lines, didn’t even say “will you marry me” and we just like hugged and laughed and cried and danced around. We left the spa and he had one more surprise.
We drive and drive and end up at Hotel Bel Air in this amazing room and our friends had sent champagne and chocolate covered strawberries. My phone was dead the entire night so I finally charged it and called my mom, etc. Turns out EVERYONE did know and they were just behaving really well! I couldn’t believe it.
We spent the night, I woke up the next morning at 6am like it was Christmas… called more people… then we had Bloodys and breakfast and laid by the pool (he’d had a bag of our stuff dropped off earlier in the day). Please also note that the shirt he brought for me to wear the next day said JOHN on it and so I had no choice! Around 1 we headed back to our house to “meet my mom” and when we walked in, 10 of our friends were inside and had prepared a whole party of apps and champagne, flowers, balloons, everything! I just lost it! I was literally shrieking.
Then a 1 minute after the initial shock, his parents came out from the back of the house (they’re my favorite people ever and they’d been hiding in LA since the Wednesday before) and so then I lost it again.
It was the most special day of my life.
