Nate and I met, dated, broke up, got back together, fell in love, and then got married all in 1 year. We have been married 6 months now and it has flown by. We love the married life! I wanted to write down how we met so I can remember the details when we get older.

I had been living in Hawaii for about 6 1/2 years when I started dating a guy that had been one of my good friends the whole time there. He had gone to San Diego to get a masters degree and we had kept in contact while he was there, skyping and talking on the phone, and then started dating when he returned to Hawaii. We only dated for a short time and then he broke up with me. It was a hard breakup for me, mostly since we had been such good friends, and I had a hard time getting over it. This break up was one of the main things that got me thinking that maybe I should move somewhere else.

About 3 months later, I moved to San Diego. I had chosen California because I would be close enough to drive and visit family or have them visit me, I could still surf and live by the ocean, and I figured there would be more options in guys to date. I was planning on moving to Dana Point or San Clemente, but ended up finding a house to move into only a mile from the beach, in Pacific Beach.

My family drove up with me and stayed a few days. They left and I felt so sad and alone. I didn't know anyone so I spent the first few days surfing at the pier right by my house and laying out at the beach.

My first weekend there, my roommate, Natalie, invited me to a pool party. We also went with our new roommate, Michelle, she moved in right after me. We got to the party and they had a big pool and were showing a movie on a projector. There were no girls in the pool, all of the girls were dressed so fancy. I was in my beach dress and swimsuit (my usual in Hawaii) and so was Michelle, so we jumped in the pool. And that's where I met Nate. He says he noticed me right away because I was the most tan girl at the party.. haha! He started talking to me and we talked for about 2 hours.

As we were talking, I found out that Nate had been roommates with my ex-boyfriend from Hawaii, whose break up had been a deciding factor in me moving. It is so crazy to me how the world is so small and how things just fell into place for Nate and I to meet. There are so many things that happened in us meeting, dating, and getting engaged and married that I know Heavenly Father had a hand in everything working out for us.

The next day I got a message on Facebook from him. When we had been talking, I mentioned I wanted to buy a bike. He sent me the couple of links to some bikes for sale on craigslist. That caught my attention and I just thought it was so sweet of him to try and help me find a bike. (I didn't end up buying any of the bikes because they were road bikes and I hadn't told him, but I wanted to buy a beach cruiser). I said thanks though and then he sent me a message asking if I wanted to go on a bike tour of PB, since I had just moved there. I said sure and I remember begin excited and nervous when he came over. He brought a bike for me and we rode all around, through neighborhoods, by Mission Bay, by Seaworld, and everywhere. We stopped by Trader Joes, got pesto chicken wraps for lunch, and ate them on the grass of an apartment across the street. If anyone knows me, they know I LOVE Trader Joes, so it was a good sign that Nate did too. When Nate was about to leave, he told me he was starting a teaching program at SDSU that week and it was going to be super busy for him. I figured I wouldn't really see him anytime soon then.

The next day, I got a text from Nate asking if I wanted to ride the ferry to Coronado island and ride bikes around the island. I of course said yes. It was our first date and we both had so much fun. Nate brought bikes again and we put them on the ferry and rode to the island. I have never ridden a ferry before and it was so much fun! We rode bikes all around. We went by The Del and rode through all of the cute neighborhoods looking at all of the beautiful houses, there are so many amazing ones!! We stopped by this grassy area and put our feet in this huge fountain (it was pretty hot out!) and then lay on the grass, looking at the clouds. I remember Nate kept saying, these clouds are AMAZING! I still tease him about it, but they were huge and fluffy and looked really cool. Then we rode the ferry back. It was such a fun date and ended up being the way that Nate proposed 9 months late (another post). It is crazy to think back on that day and where we are now. I am so thankful that I moved away from Hawaii and met Nate, it was 100% worth it.

A few pics from our first date