Loy + David’s Wanderlove Story

Loy: I think some would say I was living a gypsy lifestyle.  My address changed 9 times in 8 years (7 cities in 4 states).  Grad school took me to Florida and a relationship took me to the city where I would meet David.  If I had not been in that relationship I would not have met the woman who suggested the gym where I met my husband.

The First Meeting
When we met, we exchanged numbers just for ‘business reasons.’ We started chatting, went on a couple bike rides, and started coordinating our schedules to meet at the gym from time to time.  As we got to know each other, our interaction became more flirty.  We really built a solid friendship before we started dating. We traveled together since we both love to adventure.  Many times these trips brought feelings to the surface that everyday life got in the way of.  Our trip to North Carolina paved the way to us dating.  Our trip to the Mediterranean resulted in us moving in together.  And our engagement happened on our trip to New York City.  The great thing is, we compliment each other when traveling.  David is very adventurous and loves being active on vacation.  I am a planner and always plan some relaxation.

The Proposal
When we first met, we both just ended other relationships.  We spent the first year and a half building our friendship.  There was definitely a spark between us, but the timing wasn’t right until is was perfect.  When we did start dating, we had a solid foundation built on honesty, trust, and respect.  For the next year and a half, we spent our lives together and talked about eventually getting married.  David kept making up these markers we had to meet- date for so long, live together for so long, etc.  In the spring of 2015, he asked me for my passport number and gave me some weekend in the fall to ask off work…  This was all to throw me off and make me think that was when the proposal would happen.  I am really hard to surprise, so this was either a big con or he just didn’t care to surprise me.  But, he insisted it would NOT happen that Spring in New York during our trip for a friend’s wedding.

I let him plan our entire NYC weekend since he knows the city well. One afternoon, we had plans to see the Aladdin matinee and were leisurely enjoying the city when David suddenly realizes he might have gotten the time wrong.  I now have 15 minutes to get ready!  I start to throw my hair in a bun, and he cautiously asks me if that’s how I am going to wear my hair….  Um, yeah- I don’t have a straightener or any other option! *Hindsight*  We get to the show and are escorted to our box (yep, he even got us a box!).  At one point I put my hand on his leg and he pushes it away…  The same leg with the pocket that he keeps checking for no particular reason…. But, he’s NOT proposing this weekend, right?!  After the show and some drinks, David gives me the option to take a cab or the subway- I say subway because it’s cheaper.  Missing the local train, we take the express  train- of course I have NO idea we are on a time constraint.  We finally make it to the Italian gardens of Central Park. We wander around and I notice a photographer.  We walk over to the bathrooms and I swear the photographer laughs as we walk by. We walk over to the fountain, and I realized I need to fix the strap on my shoe.  David tells me he will do it, because I might get wet sitting by the fountain.  He gets down, tightens my strap, then reaches into his pocket and looks up.  I, of course, think he is just messing with me.  I tell him to get up.  But he doesn’t- he is still reaching into his pocket.  I tell him to stop it…until I see the ring.  Not only has he successfully surprised me, but he has amazingly planned every detail. He tells me some sweet nothings that I barely hear and then asks me to marry him.  I said YES!  We hug and kiss and then I am brought back to reality by the photographer now taking photos of us.  He hired her to capture the proposal and has this whole thing planned and timed to perfection.

Marriage
The year we got married was the year of change.  We didn’t care to have a long engagement and, with many things changing in our lives, we planned a “destination” wedding. We were married in NYC the weekend they put up the Rockefeller tree.  Both of us have attended many weddings so we wanted to make sure that, when people took time off for our wedding, they also got a vacation.  It was a wonderful wedding weekend and things couldn’t have gone better.

About 2 weeks before our wedding, David found out that he was accepted into a grad school program in Utah. After our wedding and a quick mini-moon, we started house hunting.  Within a year, we had gotten engaged, moved out of state, changed jobs, gotten married, bought a house, started school, and adopted a dog.

David and I still love to travel but, because of his school schedule, we have limited time. We loved cruising the mediterranean and biking in Asheville.  We did a road trip along the north western coast, visiting national parks.  We climbed, hiked, ate, drank and relaxed.  We love our mountain lifestyle now, and have no regrets leaving the beach. More than anything, we are a team, best friends, and each others’ compliment.  We love to laugh together, vent to each other, and discuss everything from the serious stuff to the ridiculous stuff.