Valentine’s Day is around the corner and in honor of the occasion I thought I’d write a blog post on how Joe and I met. As you all know, Joe is my husband and is the one that does a majority of the heftier house projects. We’ve been together for 10 years and married for 6. One of the reasons I love Valentine’s Day is because Joe proposed to me on the holiday! It’s a simple reminder to celebrate our love and the commitment we chose to make to one another.
How We Met
It was the year 2012 and I was still a junior in college at James Madison University. My spring break had just begun and for once I didn’t have any vacation plans. I headed home to Maryland where I met with some of my friends from the University of Maryland. We typically spent our time at Hookah Lounge and this weekend was no different. We drove to Baltimore to meet with a group of friends for a birthday gathering. As soon as we got there the lounge was at capacity and we tried another location. After several tries, we still hadn’t entered a lounge that night. We decided to try one last spot across town by the name of Zeba’s.
Zeba’s was a little hole in the wall that allowed BYOB (bring your own bottle). They were not at capacity and we were able to grab a table. I was catching up with an old high school classmate at the table. It was known at the table I had recently gotten out of a relationship. Everyone was willing to play matchmaker and wanted to learn what was my taste in men. I tried to skim the room to show an example and there was Joe across the room. I pointed and said, “Him!”. Then I realized he was cute and had my friend pass along my number to him.
I was absolutely mortified. It was something I have never done before. I left the event early In fear of rejection but hoped I would receive a phone call. The next morning I did! We briefly spoke on the phone and he requested a picture to see what I looked like. After about 30 minutes of conversing, he asked if I liked to go on a date and I happily accepted.
Our First Date
We met at an Irish Pub by the name of James Joyce located in Baltimore, MD (it is no longer open). We enjoyed each other’s company so much that we decided to go to a second restaurant that night. We walked across the street to a Japanese restaurant for sushi. By the end of the night, we realized we really liked one another and continued to date. He lived in Baltimore and I was still a college student. We decided to give long-distance dating a go.
Our First Place
For a year and a half, we drove back and forth to see one another. In 2013, I graduated from James Madison University, and soon after we moved in together where we had our first one-bedroom apartment not too far from Annapolis, MD. It was an old apartment with barely any modern features. I’m sure we could have done better, but I insisted we save the money so we could buy our first home. After a year of saving we purchased our first townhome in the Annapolis area.
Our house was a 4 bedroom 3 1/2 townhome with 3 levels. It was recently renovated and was an end unit. We were so thankful to have a space of our own. We both decided to attend college classes. I was working towards my Master’s in Marketing Management and Joe began his Bachelor’s Degree in Engineering. While we were in school we decided to do a heavy amount of traveling. We purchased a home that allowed us to be homeowners but has enough freedom to spend money traveling. During our time we traveled to 10 countries and countless US cities within 5-years.
Joe’s Proposal
Joe proposed to me on Valentine’s Day in the comfort of our home. I wanted to spend Valentine’s Day at home and cook a fun surf and turf meal made by The Pioneer Woman. He gave me a card that had a sweet message on it. When I looked up he had the ring out. It was a single solitaire engagement ring that I still wear today. I believe I said yes before he asked me and we called all our friends and family.
The Wedding
We were married on September 4, 2016, at Martin’s West. It was one of the best days of our lives. It was a vintage glam wedding where he wore a grey tux and me an ivory strapless dress. I had a small bridal party with just my sister as the Maid of Honor and my best friend. 120 guests attended and most of them were families (we both come from massive families). For all the details on our wedding, you can find the article we were featured in here. We left the wedding in a sparkler send-off and drove away in a vintage Rolls Royce. The next day we headed to our honeymoon in Aruba. It was also Joe’s first time out of the country.
How We Celebrate Valentine’s Day
Fast forward 10 years we have now moved into our current home and celebrate Valentine’s Day like we did the day he proposed. Each year we make a steak and lobster dinner together, the same way he proposed to me. It’s a fun bonding experience and a new family tradition now that we have expanded our family. This year will be no different and we can’t wait to share the story of how we met our children.
