It was spring or summer of 2015, at a small bbq in Marina Del Rey. A sunny day with a gentle breeze and kids outside playing, I saw her, and my heart began to beat staccato. There was this gorgeous woman playing keep-away with my son and the other kids. I watched for a second, trying not to stare, then carried on into the garage to play some music. After a while, I went inside for a drink, and we wound up in the kitchen together. I attempted to make small talk, she said she was a teacher, “what grade?” I asked, “College Professor,” she said. I wrongly assumed elementary school based on her rapport with the children. I played it cool. After our little chat, I asked my friend about her; “that’s my wife’s best friend, don’t even try it bro…” he said, and indicated that everyone wanted to date her "and yes, she is out of your league". A few weeks passed, I was there again making music, and she was there too! I had to talk to her again, we chatted for a sec, I still didn’t have the nerve to ask her for her number, but I got her Instagram handle, which I thought was safer.  I messaged her and we decided to go to Malibu, near my favorite cliffside. Afterward, we ended up at a cool, dim sum restaurant. I wasn’t really trying to make it a date because I was too nervous about that kind of pressure. But I really did like her and hoped we could see each other again.  I dropped her off at her friend's place. My head was in a blur from her energy and vibe. I honestly can't remember if we kissed or not, but I remember she said she hoped we could see each other again. I remember barely sleeping that night. When I did fall out, I had the best dreams, and with her, they keep coming true.

Here's the thing, we each have our own story and depending on the day you ask it will change, sometimes in pieces and at other times in its entirety. I don't think that matters; multiple stories just reveal all the ways our meeting was bound to happen. I remember meeting Hank a few times before 2015 and at least three times before I remembered his name for awhile he was "that guy who ran the Flight School open mic." In the summer of 2015, before moving to Central PA, I was in LA hanging out at Mel's house. At some point, I went to the kitchen to grab a beer and Hank was there. He inquired about the IPA I was drinking then asked about my job or something. I said I was an anthropologist but added I needed a side hustle. He mentioned cat videos on Youtube going viral, then said if we could make one, we would be winning! I thought it was funny and walked away. Later that night before he left he said we should hang sometime and asked for my IG handle. Yes people, then this dude slid into my DM's! He asked how long I was going to be in LA then said: "We should Bang!" Haha! It was an autocorrect. He apologized profusely and followed up with five other messages saying he meant 'hang.' It was soo not smooth. Within a few days, we went to Malibu and spent the next 12 hours together. I couldn't remember a time when I purposefully spent that much time with any guy and wanted the night to continue. After that, we saw each other pretty much every day. It was a perfect LA summer romance; we drank IPAs, hunted for vinyl, watched sunsets from the roof, went to concerts at the Santa Monica Pier, the Getty, Grand Performances, and a Dodger game with Farmer and Jodi. It was a perfect four weeks. From the start we were inseparable, and aside from the 3000 miles between us, it is pretty much the same.

Just like a Hallmark Movie, we spent the whole evening laughing, drinking, eating dinner, playing pool, and enjoying Christmas Eve at my Tía Sam's house. Then at 2 AM on Christmas morning after my family opened all our gifts. Hank said he had one more present for me then he went outside. As I waited in front of the Christmas tree, in front of a lot of my family, I wondered if it was going to be a puppy. Nope, Hank came in on one knee, with a lighted ring box and asked if I wanted to get married. The house screamed! I was in shock, burst into tears, then apparently said yes. Then everyone cried, cheered, and toasted! It was a Christmas miracle and DM's can go a long way.