His Tale

It all started one fateful December day in 2017. I decided that I was ready to jump back into the dating scene after a long while and figured match.com would be a good tool to use. I set out to achieve a couple of things. One, I wanted to meet someone outside of my bubble and two, I would find “the one” (that’s what I kept telling myself at least). Sure enough, I’m browsing the app and I come across MissSerendipity1. She was my age and she definitely lived outside my bubble. As I read her profile, I found myself instantly mesmerized. Here was a woman who was beautiful, accomplished and seemed willing to take a chance. I did what any guy like myself would do when they find “the one” on a dating app; I waited a week to message her. But seriously, I found myself looking at her profile multiple times a day, trying to work up the courage to say something. After about a week, I decided that I would play to my strengths and what seemed like something that might interest her: our dogs. After all, I was Yellowlabdad82. I finally pulled the trigger and sent her a message that asked her what kind of dog she had, and that I was interested in getting another dog. I finally did it! And now, I would just wait in anticipation for a response.

And then it came. I’ll never forget getting that email alert from MissSerendipity1. We went back and forth for many days. I would take time during my breaks at work to write her lengthy responses to everything from politics to travel to of course, our fur babies. We decided to meet on the first of the year. I figured coming to her would be the appropriate thing to do and I had to figure out the perfect first date. I’ve been an OC beach guy for the past 16 years of my life and realized I knew nothing about Los Angeles. Thanks to the magic of yelp and google, I was able to settle upon the L.A Zoo, a hole in the wall bar that we never found until a year later and a neat little restaurant called The Front Yard. I waited nervously till New Year’s Day.

I picked her up around 11 that morning. Thankfully, I had a 50-mile drive to settle my nerves and take into account that this was actually happening. I’ll never forget her coming down the stairs of her apartment. I was smitten. You know that 2nd achievement that I referred to, finding “the one”? I knew right then and there that this was it. From our formal meet and greet, we proceeded to have one marathon of a date. We talked about everything. She even hated country music! I just found myself getting lost in her eyes and words over and over. I had never been this enamored in my life.

We continued to have weekend dates for the next couple of months. There was a point where things came to a halt as Erin was dealing with some stuff in her life. All I wanted to do was be there for her and realized I wasn’t ready to let her slip away. This time off was a testament of our staying power. Over time, we fostered a relationship that revolved around every weekend for many months to come. After some time, I decided that it was time to take the next step and start planning for the ultimate future, one that involved making Erin my bride-to-be.

In late February of 2020, I made plans to propose to Erin in one of our favorite spots, Laguna Beach. I managed to corral a slew of our friends and family and had them lie in wait as I brought her down to a tide pool near the water. There I dropped to one knee and presented her with a ring and somehow managed to get the words “Will you marry me?” out before almost dropping the ring in the water. What a wonderful day that turned out to be, sharing our new found engagement with the ones we loved the most.

Erin and I recently took steps to end our weekend only engagements, and have shacked up together in a beautiful condo near the beach. It’s truly been a surreal ride and I believe that our perseverance through a long-distance relationship taught us both to not take each other for granted and helped foster a mutual admiration and respect for one another. I am so excited and hopeful for the future ahead. With that, I say, I love you boo!

Her Tale

They say there are two sides to every story, and boy is that the truth! While David knew from the start that he had met the one, I wasn’t so sure. I was mending a broken heart and had prematurely begun dating. I was doing a lot of work to heal but each day was a challenge and I was desperate to stay occupied and maintain some kind of hope that lasting love was possible. We had an 8 hour long, fantastic 1st date and while David did and said all the right things, I soon decided that the decent thing to do would be to end things in order to protect his heart. David was accepting but was clearly holding out hope that with a little time and patience I would come around. I knew I needed time and grew annoyed with his daily texts and social media posts designed to grab my attention. After another discussion, David slowed down but this is truly a case in which persistence prevailed.

I was determined to heal my heartache and was involved in a lot of personal development. I maintained my smile and composure while providing care as a therapist all day despite my deep sadness. One Friday evening, David happened to call me in a moment where I was tearful and simply inconsolable. He offered to drive up to the San Fernando Valley (in traffic) just to give me some support and comfort and that is what he did. He came with dinner and movies to watch, and provided support without making any romantic overtures or taking advantage of a woman in a weakened state. While not everything turned around that night, I began to see David’s character and heart. I could see he was a man with integrity and my ugly cry face didn’t even phase him!

Over time and with a lot of therapy and support from friends and my dad, I was able to see the amazing man in front of me. While different in many ways, David often says that we are the same person. We are both hungry to learn from the world around us, are committed to being our best selves, see great value in people and what is possible and have never met a dessert or more specifically an ice cream that we didn’t like. Unfortunately, trying to share dessert could very well be our downfall. According to David’s mom Victoria, David is a Cancer and was born during a Pisces moon while I am a Pisces born during a Cancer moon. We were connected through the stars long before we ever knew of the other’s existence. Other strange and cool coincidences include that David has the same birthday as my beloved mother who passed away. He has turned one of my saddest days into something truly worth celebrating. We both have dads named Steve. My middle name Victoria is shared with David’s mom Victoria. If I had been born a boy, my parents would have named me David. I have dined repeatedly at a restaurant that David worked at for 15 years. If we had met earlier in life it likely would not have lasted. We were on very different life trajectories but thanks to the wisdom that comes with time and life experience, the stars and Match.com, David and I were able to find each other and know how lucky we both are. We have found ways to bring out the best in one another over the last 3 years, surviving many trying times, a worldwide pandemic and the 405. While I know that many challenges lie ahead, I feel blessed to have David by my side as we face them together.