Arseli + Bill’s Wanderlove Story

Her Name: Arseli
Her Birthplace: Corpus Christi, Texas
His Name: William (goes by Bill)
His Birthplace: Niskayuna, NY

Where did you meet? Dallas, Texas

Describe the very first time you met:
Arseli: The first time I met Bill I was instantly attracted to him. I was so excited to finally meet him as I had heard about him for years. We both attended the same college and had tons of mutual friends, yet our paths never crossed. I showed up to a friend’s apartment kind of late, after attending a Rangers baseball game, with some beers and a big smile on my face. We had a quick “so good to finally meet you, I’ve heard so much about you” type conversation and that was it! We all went out in Dallas and Bill went off on his own to hang with some girl! I still had a great time out with friends and was glad I had finally met Bill.

Bill: Honestly, I don’t remember our true first time meeting.  You could blame it on me having too much fun with my friends.  To make it even better, Arseli and I happened to be at the same New Years Eve party a few years prior to even her first recollection but based on the size of the party, we never actually spoke to one another.  In fact, at the standard “midnight” photo of the entire group, we are actually smack in the center of the photo standing directly next to one another.  The first time I do remember meeting Arseli was a few weeks after Arseli’s first memory when we both happened to be in College Station during a home-game football weekend.  A large group of our mutual friends from the DFW area went to College Station for the same reason and we all happened to meet up.  There Arseli and I finally got to spend some time together and ended up hitting it off that entire weekend.

Can you identify specific decisions or life events that brought you together?
There are a few that come to mind. The very first decision that brought us closer together was the decision to move overseas. Bill’s job provided us with a chance to live in England for three years. At the time, we were dating long distance but knew we would be getting married. We enjoyed planning dream vacations and talking about all the things we were excited about doing. After those three years we again got the opportunity to move overseas. This time to the other side of the world! But I have to say that the most significant event in our life that brought us closer together as husband and wife were our struggles with infertility. When we moved to Japan, after being married and living in England for 3 years, we decided it was time to start our family.  We tried for three years to get pregnant naturally and finally realized something must be wrong. Fortunately we were able to stay in Japan for an extra year and we decided to do IVF. During that 4^th year we went through two egg retrievals and three rounds of embryo transfers. It was the most difficult thing we have been through together but we are so incredibly happy to say that our precious son was born this past December!

What were your first impressions of each other and what initially attracted you?
Arseli: I’m not going to lie, when I first met Bill that night in Dallas and he proceeded to blew off the whole group to go hang with a girl, I didn’t think very highly of him! I later learned that he had known that girl since high school and that they were kind of seeing each other. Even though he blew us all off, I still thought he was super cute and couldn’t wait till I go to see him again that weekend!

Bill: I was initially attracted to Arseli physically (surprise surprise), but quickly became attracted to her happy and loving personality.  She was (and still is) a person who can get along with anyone and is known as everyone’s good friend.  I also found her willingness to go with the flow as a giant perk and she seemed genuinely interested in adventure.

As you saw more of each other, what really made you fall in love?
Arseli: I thought Bill was just perfect! In fact I remember telling my mom one day that there wasn’t anything I would change about him. I loved his love for the Lord, contrasting features, sense of humor, and honestly, his biceps! I still remember the shirt he was wearing and how his muscles filled out the sleeve cuffs! I especially loved his laugh! It still makes me laugh just hearing him laugh even if I’m in the other room.

Bill: The initial things I found attractive about Arseli turned out to be her greatest strengths and still prove to be so to this day.  She is continuously open to meeting and befriending new people and is always open to new adventures in life.

Did your love face any big challenges? Any differences you had to work through?

Bill: Distance.  We both struggled being away from our close and extended family, and it created some stress on our relationship.  Furthermore, based on my work, I was and still am often taken away for weeks to months at a time on training or real-world missions.  Add to that a deployment during the second year of our marriage and I would say we quickly were faced with many complications that the average couple will never face.  Furthermore, my hours often require that I work late into the night or extremely early in the morning meaning we get very little time together during the work week.

Who proposed and how?
Arseli: Bill proposed in Klamath Falls, Oregon in 2008. He took me horseback riding and, after about 30 minutes of riding, we arrived at clearing where our guide, Jack, announced that his horse was tired and needed a break. He then offered to help me off my horse if I wanted to walk around. Realizing I might not be able to get back up on the horse I declined his offer. He then continued to try and coax me off my horse and I kept declining. Finally Bill chimed, “Get off the horse, Arseli!!” So I got off! Bill immediately pointed out there was a cooler packed with food and a blanket. Not knowing what was going on, I told him not to touch it because it could be dangerous or there for someone else. At that moment, I notice Jack riding away which prompted me to ask Bill what was going on. Then Bill led me to the picnic area, where we enjoyed sandwiches, grapes and other yummies. After we ate, he got down on one knee and asked me to be his wife! I was so excited that I placed the ring on my own finger!! Jack returned about an hour later and escorted us back to the stables. As we rode back he gave us marriage advice, which we decided we wouldn’t take given that he was already on his 5^th marriage!

Bill: I proposed when I was stationed in Klamath Falls, Oregon.  I was there attending a course to learn to fly the F-15C Eagle, so my life was already in the throws of change.  I did not yet know where I would be stationed once I finished training four months later, but knew it would either be Alaska, Virginia, England, or Japan.  I also knew I wanted to spend my life with Arseli and by this time knew she would follow me to any corner of the Earth.  Because of this, I didn’t want to waste any time and worked out a simple plan involving some horseback riding in the local area.  For all the preparation I put into everything (arguably too much sometimes), I put zero planning into what I was going to say to Arseli immediately prior to proposing.  And of course, when it got to that critical moment, I panicked and froze up and threw out some cheesy lines about how much I loved her and couldn’t live without her.  To be honest, it was pretty terrible in terms of eloquence, but the end result was the same …. “YES!”

How do the places you have been together help define or shape your relationship?

Bill: I would say it’s a huge defining factor.  Back to the theme of having gone through a lot that the average couple doesn’t have to, our first seven years of marriage were spent living abroad. That gave us unique opportunities to travel and explore many parts of the world that we have dreamt about visiting. Based on this, we have developed a love of exploration and honestly are missing the ex-pat lifestyle. We will likely always maintain this part of our relationship and it is the source of most of our fond memories together.

Are there any locations that are special to you as a couple?
Arseli: I think Japan will always be special to us since that is where we got pregnant. And in the same sense, Vegas will always have a special place in our hearts because our son was born here.

Bill: I personally will always remember living in and exploring Europe for three years as newlyweds.  We married fairly quickly and immediately were shipped out which meant we were separated from family and friends within a mere two months of saying “I do.”  This forced us to focus on each other early on and we did so through travel. I truly loved picking a random village in England that was driving distance from our first home, going there to tour their local castle ruins or cathedral followed by a pint and a meal at the local pub.

Do you see your location changing in the future?
Arseli: Bill’s job has him moving rather often, so yes, I do see a change in location in a few years. After a few years you start to get the itch to move again. Although it will be different now because we have a tiny one moving with us!

Bill: We will certainly move again.  It’s a guarantee.  My career will have us moving abroad again in the future back to either England or Japan, but in the mean time we might even volunteer for jobs in Germany or Hawaii.  We get excited just talking about it!