Our love story began unexpectedly at the Orlando airport one Sunday evening on October 7, 2012. Our versions of how we met tend to differ a bit, so we generally enjoy sharing our story from both of our points of views. We hope you enjoy our story as much we enjoy telling it!
Joe: I noticed Gina right away. Here was this girl with long, curly, brown hair wearing some sort of beanie, bright pants and shoes that looked like they were meant for bowling. There were seats everywhere, but she was sitting on her suitcase instead. Most peculiar of all was that she was going back and forth between watching the Sunday night football game playing on the television screens and reading some sort of serious, non-fiction book about the Middle East. She stood out and peaked my curiosity.
Gina: I remember getting to the terminal and trying to find a seat that would get me near a power outlet so that I could charge my phone but would also let me see the television screens playing the Sunday night game. No such seat was available, so I ended up situating myself near a charging counter and using my suitcase as a chair. I proceed to watch the game and also did some reading.
Joe: I was situated behind Gina at the terminal and couldn't really see her face. I figured she was good looking but wanted to get a better look. When she would turn to watch the game I would only see the back of her head, and when she would turn back to read her book her hair would fall over her shoulder and cover her face. I walked back and forth to the bathroom a couple of times to see if I could catch a better glimpse but didn't make much progress. I also did my best to get her attention and strike up a conversation. I remember making random comments about the game in hopes of getting her attention. I tried cheering good plays, noting bad calls, and any other commentary that would come to mind, but nothing seemed to get her attention. She seemed oblivious to the world around her and entirely focused on the game and her book.
Gina: It's always funny to hear Joe's side of the story up until this point because I never heard any of Joe's commentary and was truly oblivious to him. I've always been able to tune out my surroundings and focus on whatever I'm doing at the moment. All I remember was being slightly agitated because our flight was delayed by almost 2 hours, and I had to work in the morning. At some point I texted my roommate to let her know the flight was delayed since she was doing me the big favor of picking me up from the airport. After that I went back to reading my book and watching the game.
Joe: After a while I realized I was not going to get Gina's attention, so I opted for Plan B and moved my bag close to the suitcase she was sitting on. I figured when she finally did move she would either bump into it or trip over it and that would give me the opening I needed.
Gina: A voice finally came over the intercom and announced that the flight would finally start boarding. I knew it would be a while before my assigned group was called for boarding, but I decided to stand up anyways as I'd been sitting for quite a while and it sounded good to stand and stretch a bit. The weight in my suitcase wasn't evenly distributed, so when I stood it toppled backwards into someone's bag. I bent over to pick it up and started to apologize to the owner of the bag, whom I hadn't actually seen or made eye contact with just yet. I remember finally making eye contact with the bag's owner, and immediately becoming flustered. I remember this stranger - Joe - being incredibly handsome and flashing this contagious smile as he responded to my apology with a "no worries." I remember he had this relaxed, easy-going presence. I also remember telling myself to play it cool as we proceeded to make some small talk for the next minute or so. Worth noting is that I really did think I played it cool.
Joe: Plan B worked and Gina's suitcase fell onto my bag when she finally stood up. I immediately picked up on that "high-level" energy that Gina tends to have as she somewhat frantically bent over to grab her bag and proceeded to apologize more than once. I remember making eye contact with her for the first time and getting my first good look at her. Wow! I was slightly nervous but felt more at ease once I realized how flustered she was. It's funny to hear that Gina thinks she played it cool, because she definitely did not haha.
Gina: I've never been great at flirting and can only play it cool for so long, so eventually I wrapped up our small talk with the excuse that I was going to jump in line for my flight. I remember saying something nonsensical, like "Ok, well see you later," even though I didn't know his name, didn't have his number, and didn't even know whether he was on my flight ! I remember berating myself mentally for not playing it cool at the end.
Joe: Gina cut our conversation short as she left to jump in line. I never got her name but was smitten. I was pretty sure she was also into me given her flustered demeanor but became really sure when I saw her look back at me from the line and flash a smile.
Gina: As I stood in line I kept kicking myself for cutting short my conversation with the handsome guy in the airport. I remember I looked back to see if he was still there and of course he caught me. I did all I could think and flashed a smile. He smiled back. I texted my roommate to tell her about my encounter. I told her that I was such a dud for not getting his name or number.
Joe: I was on Gina's flight, but I never jump into those lines. What's the hurry? All that I have to look forward to is cramped seating and agitated passengers. I prefer to wait until the very last moment to board. It almost always works out for the best.
Gina: I finally boarded my flight and took my seat. My seat was in the very back, and I remember craning my neck over the seat in front of me to watch the passengers as they boarded. I wanted to see if Joe was on my flight. I pretty much gave up hope when the line of passengers started to thin out and it was clear we were almost done boarding everyone. And then to my surprise, there was Joe... the very last passenger to board the flight. A flight attendant went up to him and said something, and the next thing I know he got sat in the very front row of the plane. Right then and there I resolved that once the plane landed I would work up the courage to ask this handsome stranger for his name and number.
Joe: The flight was quick - less than an hour- and because I was able to finagle a seat in the front row, I was one of the very first passengers to deboard the plane. Once in the terminal, I decided to take a seat and wait for the pretty airport girl to deboard as well so that I could get her name and number.
Gina: The deboarding process seemed endless. I was definitely on edge because Joe got off the plane almost immediately, yet I was stuck in the very back and it was going to be a while before I made my way off. I remember hoping that I would still be able to find him, still kicking myself for getting flustered earlier, and telling myself that I had to move fast once I made it off the plane. And when I finally did make it off the plane I basically broke out into a run and started zigzagging through the crowd.
Joe: There I was sitting and waiting patiently when all of the sudden I see Gina. She was moving through the crowd at such a fast speed that I jumped up and quickly grab my bag, because if I didn't move fast it was pretty clear I was going to lose her. Gina's natural stride is a power walk, so when I say she was moving fast... she was moving fast. I caught up to her, which clearly surprised her. But her look of shock quickly turned into a smile.
Us: We slowed our pace down, walked all the way to the pick up area, and exchanged names and numbers. We went on our first date just a couple of days later. And the rest, as they say, is history!