Two lives intersected by chance and what blossomed was a romance which neither could have possibly imagined...
Laura and my story began in a manner which today is very common, on a dating website, but there is where any commonalities end. On January 4th Laura happened to look at my profile, and my first suspicion was that she clicked on me by accident. Laura will deny it. I still to this day think she is just being the sweet and caring person I have fallen in love with and giving me an ego boost. Reading through her profile I discovered our personal, professional, and spiritual lives had so much in common, so I took a chance which led to four hour long phone conversations and eventually the most incredible first date either of us had ever had.
We met at Laura’s Brookline apartment on January 13th, heading out to The Clayroom to paint some pottery and continue talking about what was important to both of us; our children, our families, our friends, our careers, and future goals. We headed over to Laura’s favorite restaurant, Barcelona, on Beacon Street so I could try tapas for the first time. After a nightcap which included a Starbucks run before it closed I dropped her off at her place, happy that she agreed to a second date. Since that memorable first date we have had many amazing experiences together, traveling to meet her family, bringing Liv and Sam down to Philadelphia to celebrate Izzy’s birthday, see Laura’s old stomping grounds at Drexel. We have gone through challenges which have shown each of us how we both handle adversity.
On Sunday April 7, 2019, at the very same spot where we first met, I got down on one knee and proposed to Laura. Trying to elude onlookers I nervously got out only about 10% of my well-rehearsed words. Our faith being important to us, we were headed to mass at Saint Ignatius, as I wanted to walk into the church where we were going to be married as an engaged couple.
Much to Olivia’s, Sam’s, and my delight, she said yes!
My twenties were quite unconventional, just me and my Little Pumpkin (Izzy) on my lap constantly surrounded by books. Izzy enjoyed picnics on the lush lawn of a sprawling 15 acre cottage in Pennsylvania, while Mommy caught up on reading. While I focused on school, having prioritized my child and my career, it was hard to convince my toddler that our life was actually not a fairytale. I joked with friends and family that Izzy often envisioned me running, lost in the woods of the property in a wedding gown. She hoped a Prince would find me and rescue me from piles of books to live happily after ever.
By the age of four, we now lived in Philadelphia and Izzy was certainly not shy. After years of realizing that Prince Charming was not my priority, she took it upon herself to play matchmaker at every opportunity she had. While that was certainly adorable, it did make elevator rides awkward and promoted my Amazon shopping habits in order to avoid being matched at Target or the grocery store.
Every birthday candle, every letter to Santa, every coin she tossed into a well included some variation of a wish for Mommy to find love. What my romantic Little Pumpkin failed to realize in her efforts is that Mommy’s standards for Prince Charming were pretty high. I knew he was out there and would find us one day when the time was right. Every time it came up (which was often), I enforced that we simply needed to focus on becoming the best version of ourselves, show kindness and faith, and soon enough he would find us and our little family would be complete.
“GO CONFIDENTLY IN THE DIRECTION OF YOUR DREAMS! LIVE THE LIFE YOU'VE IMAGINED.” ~HENRY DAVID THOREAU
The years flew by; we graduated from Drexel University, moved to Miami Beach, bought a house, sold our house, moved to Boston, and started school again towards our MBA.
On New Year’s Eve 2018, my Pumpkin, made her wish for the 1,100th time. Much to our surprise, just days later, I found Dan. The peace I felt while learning about our lives grew quickly to love. I will always treasure the memories of my Pumpkin looking out for me but I am now most grateful for the future as our little family is now growing. Our love is multiplied as we were so warmly welcomed to join our lives with Dan, Liv, and Sam.
Izzy waited 12 years to complete our little family but every second was worth the wait.
The day Dan proposed, I felt the urge of realization. These memories of Izzy rushed through my head. I don’t think I let Dan finish before I blurted out “Yes, yes!” For the first time in my life, on the steps of 551 Brookline Ave, I understood, felt, and envisioned perfectly what my Pumpkin longed for... we are living a real life fairytale. We cannot wait to celebrate our love. December 7th 2019 will forever be a magical day!