Photos by Leo Patrone
I was blessed to marry him on a beautiful, sunny Saturday morning. As I was getting ready go meet him to be married in the temple room, I remember very clearly the feeling of happiness and peace in my heart. I told my mom "Mom I am getting married, finally" and tears of happiness rolled down our eyes. Without any doubt, it was one of the happiest days of my life.
It all happened at the right time - Throughout my childhood I always thought I would marry in my early twenties and have tones of kids by the time I am thirty. Well, how many times do things actually happen the way we picture or plan them? That was definitely not the case for me.
For over a decade the "question" I was often asked was "why are you not married yet?" Yeah, right, like I really had an answer for that one... I went through college, all the single wards you can think of, graduate school, tones of single activities, buying a house, working like crazy, and nope, nothing happened, no meaningful long term relationships that would progress into something but a disappointment.
Who would have thought that just when I had almost completely given up on the "dating" scene I would literally cross paths with him, well, again. Yep, just as I was walking down the hallway of the ward I was attending at the time, I felt someone looking at me. I smiled and kept walking. That awakened my curiosity, so I decided to keep walking knowing that I might see him again since he was walking the opposite direction. It worked! there he was again. I remember feeling so glad when he decided to say something to me because I don't know what I would have said. And, to be honest, I don't even remember clearly what he said. I am just happy he said something. So we started to chat and he ended asking for my phone number.
After that conversation, I tried to put things together in my mind. I knew I had seen him before. I remembered! He was the guy that used to go to the same gym I went about ten years ago. He used to come the same hours I did for quite a while. I remembered thinking how ridiculously good looking he was. He didn't even noticed I existed back then. I also saw him a few times in some single ward activities, but he still doesn't remember me from back then either. I have forgiven him just for making the effort to talk to me that Sunday in September of 2007.
Just, like you would have guessed, the rest is history. I can only say that I my life and everything that happened before him make more sense now; and why a man and a woman in their thirties, who where born in opposite parts of the continent, who lived less than a mile away from each other, who met for the first time over ten years ago, who have never been married before, are meant to fall in love, and to get marry on May 17, 2008.
Happy Anniversary my dear Brandon! I love you now and forever!!!
Carola
