Today is a very special day.

Two years ago today, I went on a first date with {who I now know as} my future husband.

Who wants to know how we met? Well, I’m going to tell you. For one, because it’s a cute story. And for two, because I really like telling it.

A while back I used to work for UBS, in a training program for financial advisors. Yes, I know – doesn’t sound like me at all. Well, it wasn’t. But it paid pretty good for a first job out of college and looked good on the resume, so – that was that. Anyway, one day I snuck into was sent to a big meeting for all of the top advisors in the region to share thoughts/best practices {insert ridiculous and/or cheesy sales jargon here}. It was basically a big room filled with men, mostly older, and a few power women scattered about who took themselves way too seriously. Well somehow, amongst all of this awfulness, I managed to be placed into the same “breakout” group {yes – there’s the jargon again} as the hottest guy I’d ever seen. And better yet, he sat down right next to me. He worked in the Fort Lauderdale office, and I could tell he was a bit older than me; he was mature, well-spoken, intelligent, funny, charming, and – did I say gorgeous? I hung onto his every word – and his deliciously thick New York accent – and in my head {you may want to sit down for this} I actually thought to myself, “This is the kind of guy I want to marry.” I wasn’t being a creep, I wasn’t saying I knew I wanted to marry this guy right here and now – but I was saying that he had everything I never knew I always wanted.

Well, when the meeting was over for the day, I thought I had a pretty good chance that he would ask me for my number, ask me out, something – anything. But guess what ladies? He didn’t. I wasn’t sure why – but my first thought was that he had a girlfriend, or maybe – he just wasn’t that into me.

Turns out neither of those were the reasons, I would later find out.

{Thank God I would later find out}

Because for a hot minute, I couldn’t get this guy out of my head. I remembered his last name from his name tag – it was an unusual last name, I thought. I think I actually went back to my office and searched for him in our inter-office contact system, which is kind of embarrassing (did I ever tell you that, babe?) – mostly because I knew I wasn’t actually going to do anything about it once I found him. And I may have done it more than once. Just sayin’.

Fast-forward about 6 months later. It was now April 2008, and I was still working in the Miami UBS office. There was a guy named Sean in my program who had become a close friend of mine. He used to travel back and forth between the Fort Lauderdale and Miami offices, and one day he told me that he wanted to set me up with someone he knew. I was pretty skeptical, to say the least, but he wouldn’t let go of it. He said to me, “Listen. I know you pretty well now. There’s something here. I think this guy would be absolutely perfect for you. I don’t know how I know, I just do. You guys are meant for each other.” Pretty convincing, don’t you think? I did. So I agreed. And then, he hit me with the bullet.

“He says he’s met you before. At some meeting. He’s actually been harassing me about you for months now, but you were dating that guy so I never said anything – but since you’re single now, I figured…”

I’m pretty sure he was still talking. But I didn’t hear anything else. Immediately – I asked, “Sean, what’s his last name?”

{Insert most ridiculously amazing moment of my life}

Well, suffice it to say, that was the last name I told you about. You know, the “unusual” last name of the most ridiculously amazing man I’d ever met. So, it was pretty much a done deal. Dan soon called me and asked me out, and as the old adage goes, the rest is history. We were 1000% in love from that first date on. We were, are, always will be, totally *obsessed* with each other. I’m not even going to lie – I thought that at first, part of it had to be infatuation, because it we were SO intensely into each other. But here we are, 2 years later, exactly – and somehow more into each other than ever before.

In case you were wondering, he never asked me out at that first meeting for two reasons. For one, he was trying to be “somewhat of a human being and not attack the hot chippy in the professional environment” we met in, even though he wanted to. And additionally, he had just gotten out of a relationship and was not in a place to explore anything seriously yet. Was I disappointed that day when it happened? Sure. But would I change it for anything in the world? No way. You know what they say – timing is everything. And good things come to those who wait.

Oh, and if you were wondering about the title of this post – we call our anniversary our birthday. Because we never lived until the day we fell in love. Yep. That’s how sick it gets. So -  happy birthday to us! Tonight we are off to Rosa Mexicano, where we went on our very first date. Then it’s off to the Viceroy, because there’s nothing we love more than a good hotel pool day. I cannot wait to celebrate the day our lives began, how far we’ve come – along with everything the future holds, and EVERY single moment in between.

{Over several pomegranate margaritas, of course}

LOVE OF MY LiFE: 2 years {in pictures}

{may 2008} in vegas for dan’s 32nd birthday.

{june 2008) dan visiting me in cali, where i was sent to work for 3 months right after we met.

{february 2009} on a cruise for my 24th birthday and valentine’s day.

{we like to have fun}

{april 2009} celebrating our 1 year anniversary birthday in mexico.

{may 2009} dinner for baby’s 33rd birthday.

{december 2009} new year’s eve. very us.

{february 2010} valentine’s day by the fire.

From my heart to yours,

xxSAS