It all started at a golf tournament in Newport Beach. I was there with a few of my best friends watching my godfather play. That night, our whole group went out to dinner, where I met this girl named Alex. Like most girls’ conversations eventually do, ours somehow drifted toward boys. Somewhere between all the chatter, she casually mentioned she had a brother. I mentally filed the information away and thought absolutely nothing of it. After all, we had just met, and we lived in completely different cities — she was in San Diego, I was in Los Angeles, and life was moving on as usual. Fast forward one week later: another golf tournament, this time in Palm Springs. I was there with my brothers and sister-in-law, ready for a fun family weekend. As we pulled up to course, I spotted Alex… and standing next to her was this tall, handsome guy. It took me seconds to realize: ohhh… THIS is the brother. The day unfolded perfectly. Our families clicked instantly, and we spent the entire tournament walking the course together, laughing, talking, and enjoying every moment. A few transfusions later (our go-to golf course cocktail), something just felt right. The very next day, we had our first official date at what would soon become his beloved restaurant, Norma’s. From that point on, everything just fell into place. What started as a casual conversation between two new friends on a golf course turned into the beginning of our forever — proof that sometimes the best love stories show up when you least expect them… preferably holding a transfusion.

My sister came home one day from a golf tournament in Newport Beach telling me she had just met a girl I absolutely needed to meet. She said they were all heading out to Palm Springs the following weekend for another tournament and that I had to come. At first, I wanted no part of it. Spending a weekend in the desert walking around watching old guys like John Daly play golf didn’t exactly sound like my dream trip. But if you know my sister, you know she’s not easy to impress. So when she says she likes a girl enough to set me up, you pay attention. I figured if my sister already approved, that was one less thing I’d have to worry about. Fast forward to the next weekend — my sister and I got there first, and then shortly after a car pulled up to valet. Out steps this beautiful blonde holding a red Solo cup. Right then and there, I knew I made the right decision coming to the desert. For the first nine holes, though, I barely talked to her. I was walking around with her two older brothers talking golf and acting like I wasn’t interested. But after a few beers and being aggressively over-served transfusions, I finally found some liquid courage. That’s when it was my time to shine. From there, we were hooked. The next day, I told her I’d found this Italian restaurant nearby and asked if she wanted to grab lunch with me. She said yes, and the rest is history. The restaurant was Norma’s Italian Kitchen — the place we had our first date. I thought it was so romantic… I ended up buying the place.