Life lessons along the way, searching for our soul mates to only find disappointment, coupled with numerous conversations from friends trying to bring us together, we finally met. It was an arranged dinner/poker night with our circle of friends. I remember Colleen pulling me aside to get my thoughts, but when she saw me smiling ear-to-ear, she said “That’s what I thought”. Unexpectedly, Brian had to leave to get up early for work. As we walked together to our cars (O.K., I purposely made sure to leave when he did), instead of asking for my number as hoped, he simply said “It was nice meeting you, have a nice night”. Devastated, I called Linda as I often do with life experiences to relay the chain of events. Just like a good friend would, she said that there are plenty of fish in the sea and that she was proud of my ability to put myself out there. Driving home in disbelief, I received a text. Since his friends called him “Reich”, it took me a moment to realize it was him. While I did not like the unconventional method of him not getting my number first, I was compelled to follow my inner voice that kept telling me to give him a chance. He asked me out for the following weekend. As it happened, my dad had called and said that a band called “Journey Revisited” was playing. To my surprise, Brian agreed to go despite family in the mix and I was impressed. To ease any possible discomfort, I also invited Colleen, Robert, and another couple. Impressed is an understatement because not only did he make sure I always had a drink but danced the night away with me - not the norm for most men. Anyone who knows me knows my love of music and dancing, the connection to my soul. When my dad asked for a dance, what a sweet memory Brian captured as he secretly took pictures which simply made my heart melt. We ended up seeing each other the next two days and continued to date through COVID. When he appeared to be getting more serious, I paused for thought with the package he brought to the table which included an instant family. I wasn’t ready and I throttled back, yet, he never pushed which was exactly what I needed. Three months later, he texted me to wish me Happy New Year. With fantasy football threads and a planned card night with our group, I invited him over to watch my 49’ers which resulted in a date. I just knew how special he was early on. Brian set the bar and nobody else was ever able to reach it. The “pizza list” was checked in every way and the more time we spent, our conversations became more intentional about the future. That was 3 ½ years ago. I am now blessed with two amazing children and have such excitement about the future. To think about all of the possibilities and that I will spend my life with such an amazing man, I can’t wait to rewrite our story as we celebrate the years to come.