We met at a PYA summer conference in Sacramento. It was a beautiful summer night at HOECC (Hellenic Orthodox Educational and Cultural Center), and Cretan Night, arguably the best night of any Cretan conference. The folks from Sac hosted it with so much wonderful hospitality and philoxenia. We had spoken briefly at other times throughout the weekend, but it was Tiffany who made the first move and started a conversation with Jonny (Lesson: Be Bold Girls) . We ended up sitting and talking with each other for the whole rest of the night. He got her number, and the rest, as they say, is history.
You meet, you really like each other, but you live across the country. So now what? Well, you learn to love to fly, or at least tolerate it, because that's what you do when you care about someone. You also see the inside of certain airports and specific terminals so much that you develop routine places you go for your coffee, snack, or meal. You also accept getting stranded in these places from time to time (I'm looking at you Phoenix). However, you know it is worth the effort the second you walk out of baggage claim and see each other, every time. The main thing you learn from a long distance relationship is that miles don't matter when you are with the right person. Also, we are so lucky and blessed to live in a time where transportation and technology are able to keep us connected. Major props to the yiayias and pappous out there that were pen palling it. You are legends.
Jonny had come for a long visit to Florida in August. Since it was during Covid shutdowns the places we could go and things to do were limited, but one of our favorite pass times together is to go for hikes and nature walks, so we decided to get up early and head to the parks near the coast. We had a great morning hike at Robinson Preserve and then headed over to DeSoto National Park. We were walking along the boardwalk trail and pulled off into one of the secluded little alcoves along the water that make this location so special. We sat and watched the sailboats drift by, enjoying the quiet morning together. When we were ready to get back on the trail Jonny said "I think I'm ready to finish this walk with my fiance." Then he got down on one knee and asked Tiffany to marry him. She said "Yes!", there may have been some tears shed, and we finished the walk we started as boyfriend and girlfriend as fiances. It was the perfect proposal. Simple, sincere, and in a beautiful place we can revisit and share the memory together whenever we want.