LET'S CELEBRATE!

I was with my friend Lissi attending a comedy festival to see Pete Davidson and the hilarious Broad City girls. When we were watching one of the acts, Lissi said her friend, Stu and some of his buds, were also here. I had just had ankle surgery and was in a boot with crutches, and the last thing I wanted to do was meet some new people at that point. We went in the hallway where Lissi and Stu met up, and it was then that I saw Kevin. I remember he had a backpack on and looked all serious. I was thinking, wow, is he like on a hike or something? (Later to find out that that is just Kevin when he goes to festivals) Kevin and I didn’t introduce ourselves to one another. I actually don’t even think we said hi to one another? We finished up watching the Broad City girls remake of Waynes World. Kevin was a few rows down from me, but I again, thought nothing of it. Then we went outside for the final acts. We got ourselves seats close up (using my ankle as a bargaining chip), and it was during this moment when I first really started noticing Kevin. The band Chromeo began performing and as I was dancing, I felt this guy next to me dancing with the same kind of rhythm (or lack of..), and he just totally caught my attention. We started dancing closer, and next thing you know, later in the night, we actually kissed during Bill Burr. I remember thinking: wow, this is the best kiss I’ve ever had.. the rest is history! <3

It’s the first weekend in June 2017 and San Francisco is set to hold the inaugural Colossal Clusterfest. My friend Sean Mayall and I were thrilled for the experience (specifically for Seinfeld) and bought three-day festival passes. Stuart Jeffries, a co-worker and now great friend, had recently transferred Grant Thornton offices from Chicago to San Francisco. We all meet at the festival, and Stuart asks the group if his friend (and his friend’s roommate) could join us, our response was of course. His friend was Lissi, who Stuart knew from back east and had moved to San Francisco as well. Lissi’s roommate was Nadia, who at the time was in crutches recovering from recent surgery. I recall the guys were thrilled to hear that Lissi’s roommate was in crutches because the policy at the festival was to allow the entire group into handicap sections – with great views of the stages. In the afternoon, I remember the moment Lissi and Nadia met up with us in Bill Graham Auditorium when a script reading of Wayne’s World was going on. I was immediately attracted to Nadia but remained in my “guy time” mentality hanging with the boys. The six of us had a blast throughout the day and I slowly started to show more interest in Nadia. The evening arrived quickly, and we somehow got great center seats for the final three acts – Chromeo, Hannibal Burress, and Bill Burr. It was during this center stage final acts’ where Nadia and I had our first kiss – albeit not 100% sober. Flash forward about a month, I finally am able to secure a date with Nadia (our first), and I boldly choose an all-day hike to a waterfall - Alamere Falls - that includes a 1.5 hour drive each way. Talk about make or break! It’s during this first date that we really get to know each other, and I believe is where we both realize there’s something special here. The rest is history! So…. Thank you Lissi and Stuart for both moving to San Francisco and being the reason Nadia and I met!!