Our Story!

Welcome to our Blog! Ry and I first met at a group Birthday party that my Pepperdine college friends gave me at Benihana, Santa Monica in March of 2003. Although there was instant chemistry, we were both under the impression that we were already "taken" so we had a great night and left it at that... although my friends decided that it was funny to continuously bring up the fact that we are perfect for each other and need to get married! A couple months later, we saw each other again at a group dinner at Jerry's Famous Deli... since Ry was joking the night away with his friends, I became to think he was "a little off" but excused him since I knew he was letting off steam from the rigours of USC Dental School! An entire year later, our mutual friend was having a New Years party in Palm Springs and apparently my presence was requested by the dentist-to-be... needless to say, I don't think I ever evaluated my outfit that much and going into it, I had massive butterflies! That night we instantly hit it off and from that day on we began our wonderful journey together. We dated throughout the last six months of our Senior years, mine at Pepperdine and his at USC, and during that time Ry announced that he had enlisted in the Navy for a 3 year commitment as a Dentist. Things between us were too perfect for words and as we got closer to the summer, we started to never want to be apart. After graduation, Ry went to Naval training on the East Coast and it is there he made the decision that he didn't want to continue his journey without me by his side! So he came home and asked my parents for my hand in marriage and in August of 2006, Ry took me on a surprise date to Laguna Beach where he pampered me with a massage, took me on a beautiful sunset beach walk and then checked us into the most beautiful ocean-view room at the Surf & Sand Hotel. We got dressed up for a dinner at Splashes and that night, dessert arrived in a heart-shaped chocolate box and inside was a diamond ring!! Soon enough, Ry was on his knee asked me to marry him! YES OF COURSE! In the beginning of September, Ry got stationed in Great Lakes, Chicago for his first year in the Navy. We committed to see each other at least twice a month and hoped that year would go by fast with a year-long engagement. Little did I know that the first time I came out to visit Ry in Evanston, I fell in love with Chicago and soon enough we were planning that I come out to live there... one dilemma however, we were not married yet! So after almost giving our parents a heart-attack, we decided to work around the dilemma and bump up our wedding to December 30, 2006! We planned our wedding in THREE months and had an intimate ceremony at the St. Regis in Monarch Beach, followed by a black-tie formal dinner in the St. Regis' Wine Room. It was everything we had dreamed of and more, so perfectly special. Afterwards, we jetted off to Tahiti and Moorea for our Honeymoon and then settled down in Evanston, Illinois as newlyweds! So here is the beginning for Our Story and we want this blog to allow us to share with friends and family our blessed journey and life together... so please come along for ride!