5 posts tagged “enrique”
A week ago tonight on the 2.5 year anniversary of when we met and started dating, Enrique asked me to marry him. I said yes. (Three times.)
To the left is a picture of my Grandma Mae's ring. She gave it to me when I was 10 or so but told me I couldn't have it till I was grown up; when I was grown up but actively nomadic, she said I should settle down a bit. I think this moment qualifies.
Tentative plans for summer 2008 wedding in Minneapolis, possibly later than summer depending on a whole bunch of things.
Submitted by CassandraMorgan.
Just as we will be on Saturday this week, we were on our way from San Antonio to Hartford, Connecticut, where we took the Connecticut Limo bus back to New Haven. Like last year, we had spent our spring break in Texas, at SXSW and with Enrique's parents in San Antonio.
Texas spring break: kicks ass.
Mushy March on the East Coast: not so much.
Two years ago today, I returned to London from Ivrea, leaving behind the guy I may or may not have been dating; I was about to fly back to San Francisco. My good girlfriend, C., was my valentine date at Wagamama. We invoked the cone of silence and she told me about a promising date she'd had with a lovely mutual friend--she couldn't wait to see him again. We parted ways and I headed back to the hotel, setting my alarm for 5:00 a.m. so I'd make my flight from Heathrow to SFO.
Early in the morning, I had 60 seconds of email connectivity before the connection crashed. I found an email from Eeva-Liisa Pelkonen, titled "Congratulations!" I gasped. Eeva is the head of the history/theory program in the Yale School of Architecture. I got into Yale. I got into Yale! I. Got. Into. Yale! It was too early to call friends in Italy, too late to call my parents or East Coast friends. So I called John and Maggie and gleefully shared the news. From the airport, I called Jenn and Tristam ("Wicked!" he said, half in sleep). My flight back to the US was filled with peace and happiness.
As for my dinner date two years ago? She spends her life with the guy she told me about. And me? I'm celebrating my Valentine's Day again with Enrique, one of the five people who got a congratulatory phone call and note two years ago. Funny how that date turned out for me and C.
(This time around, Enrique and I are on our way to dinner at Thali for Indian food from Hyderabad. We're braving the elements for naan.)
How did you meet your current, or most recent, significant other?
The day we met, May 1, 2005, right before I got on the plane
I'm certain I was in love with Enrique by about 2 p.m. the day we met, if not earlier.
Enrique and I met three months before we started at Yale. We're in the same program, same class: there are only five students in our class. The head of our program had told each of us that we had a lot in common. She introduced us via email and she wasn't kidding.
He was amazing: he's been a punk bassist, a maritime attorney, a Hollywood agent. He worked for Ben Stiller. He has an urban planning master's. He was living in LA and I was in San Francisco before we moved to New Haven.
We started emailing and every email anticipated what I was going to say. After about 10 days of this, I realized that my flight to Amsterdam was passing through LA. I asked if he wanted to meet up, he told me that he'd love to. On May 1, 2005, he picked me up from the airport and we spent a gorgeous, sunny Sunday together. We had brunch, we wandered Silverlake, we drove around listening to a mix CD he made me (with the amazing cover of "What A Fool Believes" played on toy instruments). At 5, he dropped me off at the airport. I kissed him twice on the cheek but we didn't otherwise kiss goodbye.
When I got to my seat on the plane, he called me. We both sputtered. "That was awesome!" 17 days (and copious emails, calls and instant messages) later, I passed back through LA and stayed with him. We were in different places from May till early August. It all worked out, though, when we got to New Haven. We'd agreed to not tell people but that didn't last long.
We live, work, and study together. He never gets boring. He's the best person I've ever met.
I spent five days with Enrique's terrific family in San Antonio and on their ranch in Realitos, about 65 miles from the Mexican border. Exciting events included learning to drive a tractor, going to Cabela's (I have more pix to post from that itself), petting doggies (that's Chula, but there's also Chumina and Diego), playing with a fierce tiny baby kitty named Brisket, petting KC, the big black cat who likes hanging out under the Christmas tree. Fran, Enrique, Mr. and Mrs. Ramirez and I shot off fireworks on New Year's Eve. And I ate incredibly well. The Ramirez house is a vibrant and comfortable place. It was great to visit.
Then I came back to spend a long weekend with my family. It is wonderful to have these long breaks. I used to only see my family for a few days at a time. Now, I've been here for almost two weeks. I got to have beers with my brother Andy twice, go skiing with my nephews and Dad, play with Maddie, stay up late with my brother Ben, have multiple dinners with my Dad and Carol in North Oaks, where they live, and at my Mom's house with Chuck, my stepdad and outstanding cool. I even saw Darci, my stepsister, and her husband John a few times.
Managed to have a grade school class reunion... I will post something separate on that. Finished up a few freelance projects and an article for SXSWorld. Played The Sims 2 (with the Pet Expansion pack, my Christmas present from Enrique)
and a little World of Warcraft. Saw my best friend from high school, Melissa, and took
her out for something that wasn't hot dogs and Icees at Target.
The year will get going with a bang. We're putting on a colloquium and our second speaker is Paul Miller, aka DJ Spooky (That Subliminal Kid). Our speaker lineup looks terrific and I'll write more as it gets official. We're putting on a symposium in late March. And then there's the issue of my thesis, which must be complete in April. If I can write 10 good pages a week, I should be able to do it. We only take one class this semester, a gigantic relief. There is so much to do.
Okay, time to head to the airport. Three hour layover at O'Hare, heavy rain in Connecticut. I don't want to jinx it, but I have to wonder whether I'll make it all the way there tonight...
