A Love Story

Four years ago, I was a floundering mess. Although I had a decent job, I had just gotten out of an unhealthy relationship with a man and was trying desperately to find the path that would lead to my happiness and certainty of my future. I just didn’t know it. I was 26 years old and living in San Francisco, doing what most young, single people do in an amazing city. I was working full time managing an Endodontic practice and part time in retail sales on the weekend at an adorable boutique on Union Street. While I worked at the boutique to fund my clothes habit, it was a perfect venue for meeting new friends. I was going out a lot… from Taco Tuesdays to Martini Saturdays, no night was spared for just laying low. I can’t say that I actually went out every single night, but you get the idea. I attended some fantastic events, from the opening of the Bliss Spa in the W Hotel to watching Johnny Mosely snowboard down the streets of SF, to attending the wedding of the Attorney General of California, Jerry Brown. I felt like I owned that city. The truth is, though, that while I am social and I like meeting new people and doing fun things, I have always craved home. Nearly three times a week I traveled an hour south to see my mother and sister in the town that I grew up in. We would laugh and enjoy my mother’s home cooked Greek meals, and on occasion we would watch a flick and scarf down homemade popcorn.
In December of the same year, I was in my home town for our company Christmas party. As per tradition on most weekend nights around the holidays, most people go to the bars in town and meet up with old high school classmates. I was less interested in the actual Christmas party than I was going out afterwards to see old friends. Bar after bar, conversation after conversation, the night was getting stale and it was time to move the party to a friends house. On this particular night, the party moved to the home of my very close friend Stephanie, who also happens to be the sister of an ex-boyfriend of mine. I was really tired and wanting to head back to my mother’s house when I heard someone beat-boxing on the karaoke machine. This beat boxer was terrible, but the it was absolutely hilarious and impossible to look away. I exchanged a few glances and smiles with this beat boxer and before I knew it I was engrossed in conversation with him (after his performance, of course). As it turns out we attended the same high school and our respective best friends were siblings. How is it that I had never met him before?! I gave him my number, called a cab and went to my mother’s home for the night. The next day, he called me. And the day after that, and the day after that. We exchanged our love for The Dude in the Big Lebowski and music. We went on hikes, to baseball games, and before I knew it I was having dinner with him at his parent’s house. Two months into the relationship, we took a trip to Hawaii to visit all of his college buddies (he attended University of Hawaii), and a month after that we drove to Southern California to meet his extended family. I was totally, completely in love with this man.

The night I met Mr. Beat Boxer. With Sue from Motherhood and Me!

Everything was going so well even though I had been laid off from my job at the Endodontic practice, until I started getting sick. I was throwing up several times a day and completely exhausted. Because I had been on birth control, I didn’t think that I could be pregnant, but the rule of elimination left us with the option of taking a test. Two pink lines. We were both in a state of shock, especially because he had big dreams of going to dental school and I, well, I wasn’t prepared. We made the decision to have the baby together and get married. While it wasn’t a decision that came as easily as what to have for dinner, the alternative was never really an option either. That August, we were married. I altered my wedding gown around my pregnant tummy and walked down the aisle on the beach to exchange vows with the man of my dreams. It wasn’t my dream wedding, it wasn’t my dream wedding gown, but it was perfect because of him, and me, and the miracle that we had created.

Fast forward to today. October 18th, 2009, nearly four years after I met my husband. New York City, dental school, two beautiful children. It is not common to have children while attending graduate school, but people do it. It wasn’t part of the “plan” and we’ve faced many obstacles because of it, but it is our life and I couldn’t be more proud. I never, ever thought my life would look like this but I always dreamed that it would. I suppose I never thought I would be so lucky, so blessed. Life has a crazy way of flipping the script just when you think you have the handle on it, but I have learned to trust, and I am so grateful.