It all started when I came back after my last year of med school with one too many tortillas around my waist. My brother saw me sitting on the corner of my bed sad because my clothes did not fit! A girl's nightmare! He told me, " I got you. Tomorrow I'm taking you somewhere you're going to like that will help". Well sure enough, he brought me to a place I truly enjoyed and definitely the last place I would have imagined . Brazilian Jiujitsu!! Not only did I learn something new, met new people and made life long friends and of course shed those tortillas, I also met , if you have not guessed it yet, the man I will soon be calling my husband, Ricardo!!! I gotta say, my first impression of her may not be what you have in mind. I thought she was very beautiful, but what struck me the most was how sarcastic she was. Haha. Did not matter what you said, she would fire back with comedic type sarcasm. Little by little I started to realize how unique and funny she was, and unbeknownst to me she would become the love of my life and my future wife. Throughout the years, we went our own ways, but it was later in life where our paths would cross once again. I invited her to grab coffee at a local Starbucks. I remember my first thought as she got off her car was, "She still has that long beautiful hair." As we placed our orders the most embarrassing thing happened, My card had been blocked due to a fraudulent charge on my account, and now here I am not able to pay for our drinks. I remember thinking "Man, I just invited this girl out, only for her to be the one that has to pay for us. How embarrassing!!" She had no problem with this, of course, though she still giggled at the fact that I had shot myself in the foot. Knowing her sarcastic sense of humor, I just knew she had some funny thoughts going through her head, but out of respect she did not make any jokes in-front of the barista. Over a cup of coffee and tea for her, we caught up with each other's lives, and a few hours seemly passed by as though we never lost touch. It's funny Ricardo mentioning my sarcasm, because after a couple years of dating, he told me he once thought to himself, "I can do without that in my life", even though it was the first thing he noticed about me and is now one of the things he loves about me. As a matter of fact, if I am not being a "smarty" or "sarcastic", he ends up asking, "Are you ok?... What's going on?" I had never introduced a Boyfriend to my family, but when we started dating, getting to know each other on a more personal level (not just jiujitsu) and then became a couple, I knew I wanted him to meet my family. I knew he would be important to me in the greatest way. Just like any other couple, throughout the years, we have had our ups and downs. I have gotten to know her more and more, and I have realized how much of a beautiful person she is and how big of a heart she has. At times, she is her biggest critic, but it is easy for me to remind her how much of a special and beautiful person she is and how much light she brings to the world around her, including myself. Anything seems to make sense with her. Life is sweeter and more joyful. I will forever thank God that all the roads I took in life eventually led to her. Not only did she steel my heart, but my family's as well. I have gained a lifelong partner in crime who I absolutely love and my family have also gained someone they can call one of their own. Our paths did not cross once, they crossed TWICE. God most definitely knew what he was doing when he created us and made his plan for us. Not only did he send me the man that would treat me the way I am meant to be treated, the man that would be able to handle my oh so lovely personality, but would also fit perfectly into my family. I thank God for him every day. We are both beyond grateful and blessed.