Once upon a pandemic, in the wild world of online dating, I found myself swiping through profiles on Bumble. Every girl dreams of finding someone magical, but little did I know that my adventure was about to take a turn into an entire lifetime of magician lingo, endless card tricks and laughter. His name was Luka, and his profile picture was him posing next to a Dalek from Doctor Who. Reviewing this guy's profile, I thought, "okay... he's a nerd, cool. Profession: Magician.... That can't be serious. It's probably just a lame hobby, right? You can't actually make a living like that..." With a mix of curiosity and skepticism, I swiped right, thinking this might be the start of an amusing, albeit quirky, online dating experience. Being the only girl that started the conversation with more than just "hi", Luka decided I'd be worth at least talking to. The conversation that followed was filled with witty banter that lasted for 2-3 weeks and continuous conflicting schedules. Finding himself unexpectedly kid-free one evening, Luka suggested meeting up. We chose Camp Bar (a charming place with a camping theme in Wauwatosa). I told him I'd just be getting out of a Pilates class, but Luka insisted he didn't care that I'd be sweaty and gross. As I walked into Camp Bar, I couldn't help but laugh to myself, guessing this guy would probably try to perform some lame trick on this date. Somehow, he restrained himself and managed to charm me over for a second date. During our conversation, we realized we'd actually both been invited to the very same river tubing trip the next day. We ended up driving the 2 hours to Sugar River together with his friend Jess and had a blast. We floated down the river together hand-in-hand that day and became practically inseparable almost instantly... Luka managed to hold off on showing me any magic for a good two weeks (finally proving to me that he wasn't just a guy with a couple silly party tricks up his sleeve). When he finally did, he'd invited me to come hang out while he performed at a bar in St. Francis. As part of the trick, he had me read a prediction that said "you'll fall in love with a clown" and when I looked up, there he was, with a big-ol' red clown nose on his face. He's kept me laughing and in love ever since.

To truly grasp the inception of Erin and my meeting, you need a bit of a backstory. It was the year 2020, and a global pandemic had us all in its clutches. I spent most of that year not doing my regular gig but rather juggling parenting duties, sipping on a few quality old-fashioneds, and consuming an embarrassing amount of trashy TV shows. After indulging in what can only be described as an "Oscar-worthy" spectacle, "The Tiger King," I thought to myself, "I need to witness some of these pillars of our society up close and personal." Now, please note that my intentions at this point were as innocent as Steve Irwin's, but I had a burning curiosity to experience the kind of chaos you'd typically only find on Jerry Springer. To be fair, locating a methed-out, mullet-wearing narcissist in West Allis isn't exactly rocket science; you could stumble upon one at any of the numerous dive bars. However, with the “Rona” lurking around every corner, this was easier said than done. So, I did what any reasonable person would do—I hopped on a dating app. Now, I've never been a big fan of online dating, thinking of it like shopping at a thrift store. You might find something you like, but chances are it's a bit banged up and smells funny. After a few weeks, I was ready to give up. Every message I got was boring and I was tired of mediocre conversations. That is when I got a message that said, "So Luka, tell me the weirdest thing you had happen this week." I am known for being quick witted, not smooth. Naturally, I figured a bit of patronizing banter was a good icebreaker. I shot back with, "Well, seeing how it's only Tuesday, nothing." To my surprise, she wasn't put off by my smartassery. Our conversation kept rolling and eventually Erin said “I bet you could pull it off with that bod” with a winky face emoji. It may seem Erin made a great effort to go out of her way to compliment me with an over-the-top, desperate pick-up line. In reality, it was a cleverly crafted backhanded compliment. In context of our conversation, she was suggesting that I'd look fantastic in a dress. Erin’s playful banter made me see that there was more to her than met the eye. After a month or so of casual texting and conflicting schedules, we finally met in person. I show up looking like I just stepped out of a GQ shoot. Little did I know, the bar we picked had a log cabin theme. If I'd known, I might've gone for a Nick Offerman look. But hey, it was too late. There I was, standing out like a vegan at a barbecue. Meeting Erin face-to-face for the first time was just as awesome as I'd hoped. It is surprising we had never met before as it turns out we had a few mutual friends. Had we not met online, we would have met eventually, as we both learned we'd been invited to the same tubing trip the following day. Since our first date was going well, we decided to go on the tubing trip together. The tubing trip turned out to be a total blast. We spent the entire day leisurely floating down the river with our group of friends. Since I was shirtless all day, Erin got a good look at my sweet, manly and muscular body that had caught her attention during our initial conversation. After tubing, everything just fell into place naturally. And as they say, the rest is history. From that point on, Erin and I got together whenever we could. We'd cook at home, with me handling the grill and her going a bit overboard with the jalapenos in whatever she was preparing. But that's a story for another day. It's incredible when you think about it. I started out looking for some laughs online, while the world was crumbling and falling apart. In doing so, I had stumbled upon the love of my life, who makes the world a better place. The universe has a funny way of surprising us, doesn't it?