WE'RE GETTING MARRIED!

Tom & Kirsten's love story begins merely weeks before the COVID-19 pandemic hit... & it all started with a romantic swipe right.. You heard it from the source folks, we met online! Tom had just moved from North Carolina to San Diego 3 months prior to us meeting with his daughter (Elaina) to be closer to his mother (Kathy) & stepdad (Mickey). I myself had just moved into my own place, adopted a dog, & was focusing on work around the same time. Tom didn't know the area very well & I didn't have the time anymore to go out every weekend & find love at the bars. Thus, the convenient nature of the 21st century, dating apps! This particular app we both used was one where the WOMAN had to make the first move! Yup, I was the first one to talk to Tom & ask him out for drinks. I thought he was cute & his lack of professionally taken photos on his page proved to me enough that he was most likely not a Catfish. So, to make it fun & casual, I suggested we meet at The High Dive by Mission Bay - San Diego's Original 'High Class' Dive Bar. I (of course) was running late because my new pup wouldn't pee fast enough & sometimes I have a terrible sense of direction at night; so he told me to look for the guy in the green sweater when I got there. It was a busy night, so thank god he was wearing a color I could easily pick out. I approached the table, asked if he was Tom, & I already went in for the hug. Tom then proceeded to tell me that he had already made a fool of himself to the waitress because he asked for a Yuengling & she responded, "You ain't from around here, are you?" We laughed & continued to bond over a beer we both enjoyed & complained together about how they don't sell them on the West Coast. Tom remembers this well because he said it was the first time he made me laugh. :) We continued to talk for awhile getting to know the basics of one another, ate some fish tacos, & then I suggested we try another bar in the area - the Sidecar Bar. BIG MISTAKE! The cocktails were AWFUL; we couldn't even finish them they were so bad! I felt terrible for taking a guy who was a bartender to inadequate drinks, but we just laughed it off & finished our game of Battle Ship at a high table in the corner.. I won! ;) We’ve had enough with drinking & so I suggested we drive to the nearest beach & walk around. We found ourselves on a part of Fiesta Island & talked until the crack of dawn. When I finally noticed the time, I exclaimed "Crap! I've got to get back to my dog!" And THAT was the start of our wonderful relationship & always loosing track of time.. the rest is history... :)

Tom & I had the most memorable day together the day he proposed... It was exactly our 2 Year Anniversary & we started it off with doing one of our favorite pastimes - antiquing! We picked up this beautiful red antique barber chair in OB. Then, we headed to our new favorite breakfast spot - La Mesa Bistro & Bakery, where we put ourselves into a nice food coma. Next on our list, was our relaxing couple's massage in Hillcrest. After feeling completely refreshed, we drove all the way to the mountains of El Cajon to pick up a 2nd antique piece we just purchased - a red leather and wood headboard. Literally once we got to the house, it started to POUR! We were trying to get this large headboard into the back of my Subaru Outback, completely soaked, while the old guy we just bought it from is laughing at us from his garage. After having to drive home knees to dash because it was much larger than we intended, we were finally able to unload & get ready for our fancy dinner at Island Prime on Harbor Island, which Tom had planned for us. :) We had the BEST meal of our lives & the service was impeccable! Tom then rushed me to a spot around the outside corner where we could overlook the complete lit up view of Downtown San Diego, & in the freezing cold wind & slight drizzle, he got on one knee & popped the question!!! Although I was literally shaking from cold & excitement, it was the most romantic proposal I could have asked for, especially after a day together that could not have been more us. <3

We LOVE antiquing together! Any spare time we have on the weekends, that's our first go to. We'll look for hours and our apartment is full of great finds & gifts from family members! Our second favorite thing to do together is snorkeling! Our favorite spot so far is in the caves of La Jolla Shores. We’ll wake up at the crack of dawn, throw on a wet suit, & swim with the seals for hours!

Skydiving in Monterey Bay! (A trip FULL of firsts!) Our first Christmas together, I surprised Tom with tickets in a scrapbook I had put together of our First Year together. It was our first road trip together & we had to drive 7 hours north for it... also my first time finding out Tom doesn't really like road trips.. OOPS! Night one in Monterey, we got a sweet hotel by the water & had a delicious seafood dinner on Old Fisherman's Wharf - Monterey Harbor. The next day, after sitting for 4 hours already waiting to jump, the weather turned for the worst & they wouldn't allow anyone else to jump for the day.. I literally cried... BUT, they were super nice & were luckily able to squeeze us in for the next day when I explained how far we'd come! So, we ended up eating at a Chili's & staying in a really crappy hotel for the extra night. HAHA! Skydiving was THE BEST! #willdoagain. Instead of taking the same 7 hour drive home we took up, we decided to take the time to go down the State Route 1 & finally see the big whoop about Big Sur... It was the most BEAUTIFUL scenery we had ever seen!! Completely worth the extra hours home!! We stopped for lunch along the way & a couple more spots to take in the views. It was quite the adventurous weekend together!

One of our big life goals together is to open a bar together! Tom's dream is to have it in an old plane hanger & to fill it with antiques we find, billiards tables & dart boards. Drinks would be named after special tidbits of our life & it would become a family business our kids would have fun working in one day!