Isaac and I first met in 2010 at the West Seattle Senior Center when my dad suggested that I check out this little group called Skate Church (thanks, Dad!). Isaac was there - his parents ran it after all. We hit it off and the rest is history! Just kidding. Though Natalie did suggest that I date her brother Isaac, I opted to date his roommate instead (oops!). But that's ok - we weren't ready for each other then. At 20 and 21 we had some things to figure out first. Fast forward 12 years: I am living in West Seattle again and am looking for a martial arts gym. Natalie suggests Combat Arts Academy on Delridge (y'all should check it out!) and mentions she used to go there with her brother. She does not say that he STILL goes there. Nor does she mention that 18 months of Muay Thai has made him rather well-muscled and outgoing. I showed up to try a class and who is there, but Isaac Wastman?! I won't lie, I was a little distracted in that first class. I arranged some casual group hangouts with mutual friends, flirted like my life depended on it, and finally got the message across. We had the first of what has become a beautiful hallmark in our relationship: a very frank conversation of what we wanted and what we could provide for each other. And from there the rest IS history.

I remember Kelly showing up one night at the church my parents pastored at the time. She stood out quickly, both for her beauty and the fact she was brave enough to quickly embed herself with all the disparate personalities. I remember thinking to myself, “you need to be serious to date Kelly Bowen”. Definitely not me at the time! Fast forward 12 years. The pandemic is starting to wane, and I am active in my local Muay Thai gym. One day, this very beautiful woman shows up and I immediately recognize her: Kelly Bowen! Instead of brushing me off, she starts to invite me out! How odd! It became clear that we had feelings for one another. We had the first of many “frank conversations” about what we wanted. I finally knew. I wanted to be serious. I wanted her.