PLEASE RVSP ASAP OR WE ARE TELLING OUR MOMS!

My mom used to always say, “maybe you’ll meet your husband on an airplane”! I tried my best! I even became a flight attendant! And jumped out of airplanes. I spent most of my 20’s traveling the world and meeting all kinds of amazing people, just not anyone who could settle me down 😅! So, I broadened my horizons to the World Wide Web, specifically the dating app Hinge. I had been on hinge for a while with no luck! I actually had made a plan to move to Colorado where there are more men 😄! But then I stumbled upon a guy who was obsessed with moose hunting in Finland. I was excited that he even knew where Finland was 😄!! You would be surprised how many people ask me “what State that is in”. I’m not one for pen palls and knew I wanted to meet this guy. So Friday October 11th my friend cancelled dinner plans and I asked Sebastian what he was doing that night. I never imagined that I would meet the love of my life on the corner of Higuera and Chorro St. downtown San Luis Obispo, California. There was just something about Sebastian that intrigued me! This guy was super funny and our conversation was effortless. Oh and his smile!! 🔥 On our date Sebastian asked me what I was doing the next day. I just told him a was going to Paso Robles. I actually had another date scheduled. I didn’t want to tell him that but it came out. He was working a bartending shift downtown that evening and told me if my date was boring I should come visit him. Well, I couldn’t stop thinking about my date with Sebastian. The professor was so nice and so boring 🥱! I could wait to get out of there and go see Sebastian at his work place. I think he was pretty excited when I showed up! Then I asked him what he was doing the next day and he had a date!!!! I wouldn’t let him cancel on the girl last minute. And I figure if he really likes me he’ll pick me! So we had two dates the next day one before his other date and one after 😆! One month later I became his girlfriend. The rest is history.

In June of 2024, I was a groomsmen in my friends wedding. At his rehearsal dinner, his mother gave a speech that left an indelible impression on me. She explained what requirements any male must meet in order to become a man. In her words, one only becomes a man until he has a truck, a house, a dog, and a wife. Unfortunately, I was missing the latter two. Fast forward to September of that same year, I had resorted to finding love the same way many millennials know how: I downloaded Hinge. I quickly grew tired of getting only 8 swipes a day so I took online dating a step further by upgrading to Hinge Premium. The monotony of the dating apps game will make the best of us go insane but I pushed on (plus I had a 3 month subscription I couldn't get refunded for). One day I came across a profile that particularly peaked my interest. She was from some place called Siilinjärvi (I would like to see the Americans pronounce this one). She had the classic photos: Hiking pic, dog pic, swimsuit pic (a modest one of course), and one of her holding a giant fish. I knew every joker on the app responded to the swimsuit, so I thought I would detach myself from the crowd and comment on the fish (to be fair I was interested in the fish). My genius pick up line: That's a big fish! The conversation that ensued was genuinely captivating. I found myself really excited to meet this girl in person. Just before I could ask for her number, she beat me to it and asked me. Our first date comes with a bit of controversy. I was working an event that was over 3 hours away from San Luis Obispo. We had previously agreed to meet in SLO for a drink but I could not give her a solid time because I didn't know when the event would end. I was afraid that if I told her our meet up time would be too late, then she would decline the invite and not meet me at all. I assured her I would be in SLO around 9 or 10 PM, and I was doing everything I could to get out early, but even with my best efforts, I would not be in SLO until midnight. Paula had been ready for hours, but I must have been interesting enough for her to wait because against her better judgement she stayed up and met me downtown. I saw her for the first time on the corner of Chorro and Higuera and what a pretty sight that was, ocean blue eyes and a leather jacket. Paula wasted no time in her interrogation. Within the first 5 minutes our conversation went something like this: "So do you like living here?" - Paula "Yes actually! I really like it." - Sebastian "So are you a liberal?" - Paula "What?! NO!" - Sebastain Although I don't love that I came off as liberal, I loved that woman had the confidence to ask. On the walk back to her car, I asked if she wanted to hang out the next day. She was vague about her Saturday plans at drinks, but then the truth came out, she already had another date! However, she said she would be willing to hang out on Sunday. I laughed because I had a date on Sunday. I made the point that my date on Sunday was in the evening and if she wanted to hike in the morning I would be more than happy to do so. Also, if her date was boring, she was welcome to come to Bull's Tavern where I would be bartending. Sure enough midway through my shift that same leather jacket walked through the Bull's door. Guess I was more exciting than the Saturday guy. On Sunday, our morning hike turned into an all day affair. I was going to cancel on my date but Paula, fearing the girl would get her feelings hurt, FORCED me to go. All the while she booked us a spot at the Avila Hot Springs for a date after my date. That date with Sunday girl proved to be my last first date, all because Friday girl had already made her mark. It didn't take long for me to promote her to girlfriend, then fiancé, and now wife. The quadfecta is complete, a truck, a house, a dog (Stan the man), and a wife. Thank you Hinge Premium, by far the greatest $100 I ever spent.