William and I both attended the same high school but were in different graduating classes. We were both athletes and socially active. I knew William as the MVP basketball player and as the guy that drove the newest candy apple red BMW. We were not in the same social circles but we knew of each other through associations. We both graduated in our respective years and went on to different colleges. William says that he visited me a few times during our college years at my job (Big Lots) to chat. I vaguely remember that. I was just trying to sell furniture and keep it moving.
A few years ago, I noticed that William would post emojis and comment on my pictures on Instagram. He would post things like diamonds, shoes, purses, and airplanes. I never took William seriously and would respond to him here and there. One day he sent me a message to my inbox (DM) and we chatted there for a while. At the conclusion of the chat, William left me his phone number but I never thought enough to call.
A few months later, my high school best friend (Ashley) was planning a trip for her birthday to Miami. I hadn't confirmed my attendance but was seriously considering going. One day Ashley called me and asked, "Why is William asking if you are going to Miami?" I told her that I didn't know why and lightly mentioned that William and I had chatted on Instagram. She was very surprised and disappointed that I had not given William a call. Ashley demanded that I immediately hang up with her and give William a call. I tried to push it off until the following day because it was 10 o'clock at night but Ashley wasn't going for that. I had so many questions: "What if he has a girlfriend or girlfriendssss, it's late at night - that would be so inconsiderate/rude to call someone so late, what if he doesn't answer, and most importantly...What do I say?!!
Ashley coached me up, answered all of my anticipated questions, gave me some pep talk, and made a few courageous threats before ending our call.
I called William nervously with hopes that he wouldn't answer and to my satisfaction, he didn't! I hung up immediately when I heard the voicemail. Then I had more racing thoughts... "Maybe he didn't know it was me... He probably doesn't answer unfamiliar phone numbers, Ok ... He must definitely have a girlfriend...maybe even a wife! How would he know to call me back if he didn't know it was me calling?" I thought about sending a text message but figured that would be too informal since we didn't know one another well enough. Then I thought to myself, "Let me call and leave a voicemail. Surly, no one listens to voicemails." So it's possible that I would escape the awkwardness and report back to Ashley that I tried and could move on to my routine single life.
Welp, he called back 5 minutes after I left the voicemail! My nervousness turned into calmness and excitement as we discovered that we shared so many things in common. That conversation catapulted into a series of lengthy intriguing conversations that would eventually lead us into a loving and selfless relationship. I never imagined that the love of my life would be right under my nose or should I say... right under my instagram comments section.
In high school we didn't really know each other. I had seen her around but I knew more about her sisters, Johanna and Mary, than I did her. I also knew of her best friend Ashley because we had a few mutual friends. Luckily for me, I had a good reputation because her 2 best friends are known to be investigators and would have killed my chance if I was known to be otherwise.
It really all started with Yemi's pictures on Instagram. I admired the way she carried herself. She appeared to be very chilled, sexy, and classy without being attention seeking. Word on the street was that Yemi was a little boogie so I was a little cautious about that. I commented on her pictures on IG here and there in which she mostly responded. There was one picture in particular that caught my attention and to this day it is my favorite picture of Yemi. I didn’t want to appear desperate so I was always careful with the frequency and content of my comments. Finally, one day, I decided to shoot my shot. I left my phone number in her inbox but she never called. I told myself that this would be my last attempt at trying to get her attention. Too bad she was too confused to figure out what that meant.
8 months later, I finally got that phone call. We talked briefly that night and continued our communication via text for a few days. At the time, I was living in Florida and came home to Atlanta on weekends. It just so happened that there was one weekend I was in Atlanta hanging out with my boys when she and her friends showed up. She was even more beautiful in person than I imagined. That night, we were both shy and didn’t say much to each other. However, at the end of the night, I walked her to her car (which was shockingly clean --- I had never met a girl with such a clean car). We sat in her car and talked for hours before going our separate ways.Honestly, I was impressed! Her conversation was everything. She kept my attention and I was intrigued. Her goals, integrity, outlook, and work ethics were admirable. All of these qualities attracted me to her even more. With that, I knew that I could build a future with her and ultimately I knew that she was the one for me. Or should I say I'm the one for her? There's a reason why they call me Will the Thrill ; )
Our story has just begun!
We are so excited to see what God has in store for us!
You will have to stay tuned to see what the future holds.
Our story will be continued.... In Jamaica!
June 20, 2020!
Can't wait to see you there!
We love taking long walks in the park....
Actually....its bikes that we love... we love riding bikes in the park! That has been our common theme when traveling to different cities. Our very first date in Tampa, Florida consisted of lunch on the beach and riding bikes along the shore line. It was at that moment that we realized how fun and refreshing it was to cruise the city on bikes. So we have continued that tradition with every city we visit.
We have visited Florida, New York, Texas, Tennessee, Nevada, California, Jamaica, Mexico, and The Netherlands together. Our to do list is getting quite extensive but there is one thing that we both know for sure....and that is that We LOVE to TRAVEL!
Runyan's Canyon-
William's love for fitness is no secret! A hike in 90 degree whether was no sweat or was it?
Be sure to check out the gallery page for more adventurous pictures of us!