It was early afternoon, Sunday October 31st 2010 (Halloween!).
I had started my day like I normally do on Sunday - cleaning, laundry, errands, preparing for the upcoming workweek. My friend Jenni called me at around 12:30pm and asked if I would PLEASE go grab one drink with her (she desperately wanted to get away from her boyfriend's parents who had been in town for a week).
I reluctantly said I would go (for one drink!) but told her I needed to be back home in an hour. We ended up walking down to a restaurant/bar in the marina called City Tavern. The day was gorgeous and the Giants were in Game 6 of the World Series. As we approached the restaurant, we saw an open table outside and quickly sat down. Next to our table, we noticed a group of four guys drinking beers and watching the game.
Side note: during this time, I had finally gotten to a point in my life where I was no longer actively looking to date anyone. I had pretty much given up on finding someone in San Francisco (especially in the Marina). I had put myself out there for a year, accepting several offers to be set up on blind dates and bar hopping in the marina in the hopes of finding someone interesting.
About 5 minutes after we sat down at our table, the boys next to us asked if we wanted to push our tables together so we could have a better view of the game that was playing on the monitors inside the restaurant. It was then that I noticed the cute boy sitting across from me and I immediately felt a connection. It was electric.
Long story short, we never even watched a minute of the game. Instead, the 6 of us partook in the longest game of Never Have I Ever - ever. After 6 hours, and SEVERAL margaritas, we knew everything about each other. Nothing was off limits - past relationships, embarrassing moments, regrets etc. We put it all on the table because we didn't know the guys and it just felt natural!
And that boy across the table? His name is Alex and there was just something about him I instantly loved. I just KNEW this was something special and I had to get to know him. At one point during the game, I reached across the table to hold his hand (I have no idea why!) and we ended up holding hands across the table for a full minute without speaking a word about it. The spark between us was palpable. Later, Jenni announced that the two of us need to date and that Alex needed to ask me out immediately. He did and the rest is history! I honestly had found my soulmate.
Alex proposed to me on June 11th last year and we are getting married on May 26th. I am SO excited to spend the rest of my life with him!
Final side note: Alex later told me that as he and his friends saw me and Jenni walking towards the table that day, they quietly said to each other "please have those girls sit next to us"...and then after my impromptu hand grab, Alex leaned over to one of his buddies and said "This girl is off limits. But you can be the best man at our wedding".