It's finally time to celebrate!

It all started at everyone's favorite place...Trader Joe's! We met in 2013 while both working at store #191 in Tucson...I (Andrea), a freshly promoted, bright-eyed-bushy-tailed, 21 year old manager, and Paco, this young, yet also mature, super intriguing, handsome-as-all-hell, "new hire" who would ride his bike in to work and would hop off while balancing on one pedal...I had never met anyone as cool (and still haven't) Our work relationship grew in to a friendship and the more we talked, the more I wanted to know. With further probing (professional, friendly, "I'm your manager" probing) I learned that Paco's time in Tucson was finite, he was completing pre-recs before applying to grad schools, none of which were in Tucson, or anywhere close for that matter. I knew the clock was ticking and I wouldn't forgive myself if I watched him leave Tucson in the fall without telling him how I felt...so I did! We both agreed that I should request a transfer to a new store so we could get to know each other...and so I wouldn't lose my job. We fell in love going to shows, climbing on Mt Lemmon, and making each other laugh tirelessly, and staying up all night playing games and bonding with new friends and each other. All the while knowing that Paco was accepted in to grad school at UW in Seattle (Go Dawgs!) and would be shipping off in just a few months.

We fell, and we fell hard, so we packed up all of our belongings and set out for Seattle. The next two years felt like the beginning of my life, the love and bond that we built in Seattle was the foundation to which our relationship is built on. It was hard, and expensive, but with the time that we could make to be together, we made the absolute most of our life in the "Pacific Wonderland". Nearing the end of our Seattle chapter, we made the difficult (yet not) decision to move back to Tucson. Once Paco was accepted in to a residency program at Hanger Clinic in Tucson, we hit the ground running yet again. The next six months were a whirlwind. In February 2018 I began the process of buying our home in Tucson. Paco was nearing the finish line of his master's degree and I had successfully become a first time homeowner, from across the country! Our excitement for our future was at a peak, and only now while writing this do I realize why what happened next makes so much sense. On Friday May 25, 2018, Paco got home from school and suggested we bike to dinner at our favorite neighborhood taco joint, and then ride to Gas Works Park. This being a frequent date night idea, I happily obliged. We laid on our favorite hill at Gas Works and I laid my head on Paco's chest, immediately noticing how rapid and fast his heart was beating. Paco turned to me and told me how much he loved me, tried to have me sit up, and then awkwardly (perfectly) got on one knee and asked me if I would marry him. It was a complete surprise, and I have never been so sure about anything in my life. It was official, we were engaged! The honeymoon stage of our engagement was in full swing. Paco graduated in June 2018, almost immediately post graduation we backpacked through Vietnam for 3 weeks, came back to Seattle and packed up all of our belongings and said goodbye to our friends in five days, then packed the Uhaul yet again, and began our new adventure back "home" to Tucson.

The home we bought in Tucson is a 1946 charmer, complete with a guest house. Located in a close knit neighborhood and one block away from Mitchell Park, where we've grown to know and love our neighbors. Before we had even married, we propelled in to domestic life. As if being first time homeowners wasn't difficult enough (haha) we began to host for Airbnb in our guest house. Paco was getting in to the groove in his residency program, I was still managing at Trader Joe's, our Airbnb was gaining momentum, and then Zorro came along. Paco has always wanted a Belgian Malinois. I admit, I didn't even know the breed by name when he first mentioned it. He would show me videos of Malinios' jumping 20-30 feet in the air after bad guys, responding to commands (that I can't even get Paco to respond to), and basically just being the smartest dogs you could imagine. I wasn't sold. I tend to be a worst case scenario thinker and I was convinced it would be out of our capability to have a "Mal". We were BUSY...but honestly, we love being busy. Long story short, we got a Mal. Paco's dad drove Zorro to us at 12 weeks old. He was a scrawny little fruit bat looking puppy with ears larger than his head and ticks in his ears, as he came to us straight from the ranch he was born at in Mexico.

Slowly but surely, we started to plan our wedding. Even when we were overwhelmed with life and work and Zorro, it was actually kind of nice to have a constant reminder of this event we had to look forward to. 10/10/2020 was the date we set, and we were sticking to it. We fantasized about having a small, intimate ceremony out at Gate's Pass at sunset, and then driving to the reception in my mom's '68 Camaro. We looked at a few venues and quickly found the perfect one, The Franklin House, a beautiful private home in the historic Presidio neighborhood in downtown Tucson. We had begun making our save the dates when the new year rolled around...and just as 2020 was about to unleash all of its fury, an opportunity fell in to our lap...to buy a new house. This isn't just any other house, this is a forever home. Our new home is located about a stone's throw away from our first house, (it's across the alley)! Very long story short, on March 14th, 2020 we put in an offer on the house, and in the next six months we: slogged through the beginning of this nightmare pandemic, packed up our house and guest house, moved it 15 feet to our new house, prepared our previous home and guest house to become rentals, found the best tenants possible (one of them being Nate, our best friend, and one of only two witnesses at our elopement), and then began nesting in the new house. Needless to say, when the pandemic hit we postponed the wedding indefinitely. The closer October got, the more sad and frankly, mad, we were that this pandemic was taking our wedding in its wrath of destruction. When October rolled around, a lightbulb went off and I looked to Paco and said, "hey! should we elope on 10/10/20?" and he said "...yeah!!" So, we did. It was perfect, the ceremony was everything we had hoped, since the beginning. Now it's time to plan the reception, it might be a while, but it's coming (post widespread vaccine access) We look forward to celebrating with you all, eventually!

So, it’s been five years. Somehow, Andrea and I have managed to survive marriage, life, and have learned when to walk away before the other devises a plan to cash out on the life insurance policy. We’ve settled into Tucson, we've grown a lot, and learned how to be married humans without ending up on the evening news. In that time, we’ve added another dog to our circus, traveled abroad without causing an international incident, shared some incredible moments with friends, spent time with family, and experienced the full emotional buffet: love, grief, joy, pain, and the sheer thrill of filing joint taxes. Despite all of these fortunes and excitement, one thing’s been missing: a chance to throw a proper party. We eloped (which was great, 10/10 would recommend), but it meant we never got to celebrate with the people we love - and who somehow still love us, despite knowing us. So this year, we’re doing it. We’re throwing a party. For our marriage, our survival, and most importantly, for you all - because life’s too short not to eat, drink, dance, and remind each other that we’re all just doing our best out here.