It started out as a vacation get away for the both of us, separately. Some how it gradually turned into a broken down cruise ship that almost never happened at all. But thankfully it did! By the end, it was unknowingly the start of a beautiful new relationship. The first time we saw each other, walking around on the cruise ship, nothing was said and nothing was really thought. It was just a simple notice. At some point, though, the surprising exchange happened and we officially met. The days to come led to so many laughs and fun passing moments. Those led to deep conversations. Every unexpected moment spent together lead to a surprising desire to continue having them. But, we knew that eventually the trip would have to come to an end. We accepted the reality that we lived miles away from each other, and so nothing would ever come out of this encounter. We made it a point and decided that we wouldn’t dare end this short, sweet journey any sooner than it needed to. We found ourselves finding things to do and meeting up almost every single day. On our last night, we walked around ALL night and talked…and talked…and talked some more. We didn’t say goodnight and we didn’t want to fall asleep. We just couldn’t end it. So…we stayed up all night and watched the sunrise. Until the gentleman on the loud speaker, letting all passengers know that it was time to depart, ended it for us. We looked at each other and said, “do you want to exchange numbers and keep being friends?!” We did. And then we asked, “after we grab our bags let’s meet one last time on the top deck to say goodbye.” So we did. This picture was taken right before we parted ways, as a souvenir of the amazing time we had together, thinking that it would be the last time we ever saw each other. While it was such a sad moment for us, it turned out that it wasn’t the last time. Leaving that vacation we never imagined we would end up here. But here we are! We feel so blessed to have found each other. Even if it was half way around the world. Now we can’t ever be apart.
Time to meet the family! Meeting the family is one thing. Meeting the whole extended family on the first day in a completely different state is another. Pretty intimidating to say the least. It was a New York birthday party filled with lots of hugs, loud Latin music, amazing people, and warm welcomes. Boy met girl, and then boy met mom…and every single person in the family and neighborhood! But it was all worth it. Because in a split moment in time, in between all of the shenanigans, girl looks over and gives boy a HUGE smooch (as seen in this photo) as she realized that this huge moment meant the world to her…and THIS WAS IT! This was the one!
Seeing two families, from such different cultures, come together is quite interesting but a beautiful thing. To see our love grow no matter the location or through all challenges is proof that home is where we make it. It’s where the heart is. We feel so blessed that in this moment we realized how different we were, but how much none of that mattered. Because we chose each other no matter what. And we cannot wait to see both of our families come together in one night to celebrate our wedding!
Michigan here we come!! After months of dating through a screen, endless text messages, written letters, and multiple care packages we decided that it was time to give our relationship a true chance. Even if that meant moving 1400 miles across the country to be together. Turns out, this wasn’t a snow bird situation where the cold is traded in for year round sun and palm trees. Nope. This was a dive into an unpredictable forecast of 50s means warm at times and 30s means watch out for deer starting to run around, with a chance of watch out for two green dots if you’re driving at night. It also meant that city traffic was out of the picture, but country cows were in. In the end, giving us a chance made it all worth it. It only took 3 months to realize that Michigan was where the heart was. And where our lives and love would continue to evolve. It hasn’t always been an easy ride, but it has been a ride worth taking. So here we are 5 years later, a remodeled home, two new fur babies (a cat and a dog), multiple Michigan turnarounds on the books and we are ready to lock it in forever! We are so excited for our Michigan wedding to bring the energetic, bougie city and the laid back, rustic country taste together in one night! Can’t wait to celebrate!
This day is one that will never be forgotten! After all, it’s how we’re even here!! It was a day filled with many emotions. To ask someone to be your partner in life is such a big decision, but an easy decision for the both us. To find your best friend out in this big world is a beautiful thing. The one you want to spend every moment with. The one you can laugh and cry with. One that makes you feel like you just can’t wait to see what each day brings. Well, this particular day brought something shiny, a Logan on one knee, and a Karina sobbing while covering her face, nervously laughing, and repeatedly saying “stop it, are you serious!?!” The day started with such excitement just to get away and be on vacation. The kids and us had planned to fly to Florida and hop on a week long cruise. It went from the usual yearly vacation to “let’s walk down to the beach at night to see the waves” to, nope, not just the waves….but a walk through a trail of twinkling lights guiding us into a huge heart shape of lights, and which ultimately ended with a beautiful surprise proposal! To top it off, we were surrounded by family- all of the kiddos and sister who flew out from NY. With everyone’s support it made the night so special. It’s a night we will talk about for the rest of our lives. It was an AWESOME way to start a cruise. It was pretty much a celebration cruise. And ohh ya! It ended with a big YES!!!!