After having a fairly vivid dream one night in a sleepy town in northern Pennsylvania where I was living, I chased intuition and love. I had dreamt that my future love and wife would be found in Manhattan Beach and was likely either on a wave surfing or practicing yoga. Being I hated my job and the little town I was living in, I quit my job and headed nearly 3000 miles away to Manhattan Beach.
I had told my friend that I was working with that I was to meet my yoga/surfer love in Manhattan Beach and to keep his eyes out for her. I knew she was somewhere.
One random evening while I was hanging out with my friend at his restaurant he introduced me to two women that had similar interest in sports and wine as I and we began to chat a bit. These women were much older than I and rather chatty as I recall! It turns out they are my future mother-in-law and aunt-in-law.
Mary's Mom (Beverly) and Aunt (Wandamae) met me first and after some nice conversation and a few lines of questioning, later recognized as their litmus test, asked me very curiously if I were single, I mistakenly thought they were interested in me and replied "you are a bit out of my target age group (to Mary's Mom who is over 30 years my senior) and "you're already married" to her aunt wearing a big wedding ring. They replied "no silly not us, we have a daughter/niece.
My next thought was "oh great, who are these women trying to hook their daughter/niece up with a complete stranger...what is she the ugly duckling of the family that needs her Mom to set her up." Her Mom very quickly busted our her phone and showed me a picture of this model like beauty. She accompanied it by, "She's a yoga teacher and just opened a yoga studio down the road in Manhattan Beach."
I was floored! I just couldn't believe it! Was this the person I dreamed of. All I knew was that her Mom and Aunt were super cool, age really well and apparently thought I was a catch. What better than a recommendation from Mom! I was in for sure.
So they proceeded to entice Mary to meet me at an up coming wine tasting for a blind date. Apparently the clincher that finally got Mary to attend was the fact that her Aunt let her know how cool I dressed and that I had a really cool cowboy style belt buckle on that day. Of course they let her know about how I was tall and handsome and a successful wine importer....but it was not of those things but the belt buckle! Thank God I bought that buckle and had it one that day!
In any event we both knew from the moment we were in the same that day of the wine tasting that we had some serious magnetism going on. We talked that day non-stop for about 4 hours, played a little footsie under the table and finally ended the evening (chapperoned by her aunt nonetheless) with a kiss on the cheek.
The rest is history and a testament that dreams do come true and following your heart will find you love!