In 2006 I would have told you I had no interest in marriage. I was in my mid 20's and I enjoyed living the bachelor life. This all changed on February 23 2007, the day I met Sarah.

My cousins girlfriend(now wife) Alexis hired a new girl at her salon and she thought we might like each other. Alexis was the person who usually cut my hair at the time so she told me to come in with my cousin on a certain night when this new girl would be working. Alexis cut my hair as usual and the four of us went out and had a drink afterwards. We laughed and joked a little bit. She was super cool so at the end of the night we exchanged numbers and went our separate ways. The next day she ended up texting me while I was at work to see if I wanted to hang out. I said sure  and we have literally been together every day since.

It just worked. Right away we had a lot in common and laughed, A LOT. After a year of dating, on the anniversary of our first meeting we took a trip out of town to celebrate. I had plans for a more public proposal, but I chickened out and proposed in the hotel room. She said yes and we were married on Halloween 2009.

13 happy years later, she is my best friend and we still laugh... A LOT.  

I wish I had some nice love story to tell you all about how Andrew and I met but I don’t. I don’t have a “love at first sight” story or a “blind date success” story. You see, I went to middle school with Andrew and then high school with him. But funny thing is, I never said one word to him in all those 7 years. I never asked him if I could borrow his pencil, never accidentally bumped into him in the hallway, never got assigned as his partner, never a hi or bye…nothing. I simply knew of him and he of me.

Then, one weekend during my college freshman year, I got invited to a friend’s B-Day party in Hollywood. That was the first night we said our first words to each other.

Andrew: Are they always like this when they get together?

Me: Yeah, pretty much.

(We were talking about my sister and his college roommate who dated in high school and always seemed to tune out the rest of the world every time they saw each other.)

Anyways, that was pretty much it. That was our first encounter and, if I recall correctly, the only words we said to each other that night. Great story, right? Not really. But some love stories don’t come with a red bow on top, some start off kind of dull. But it’s our story so I wouldn’t change anything. 😊

Hope you all have a great Valentine’s Day next week!

Hey everyone! Yes, it is that time of year when everyone sets a billion different goals to crush during the New Year! It is also that time of year when goals/resolutions are dropped within the first two months of being made! I hope you all are creating healthy goals with your happiness in mind. May we all crush our goals this year and create new opportunities in all aspects of our lives.

For me, this year has started off fairly great, and with a few bucket list goals already checked off! The Florida trade-show definitely helped me to achieve quite a few of those goals, and I was not intending on doing so just a month or two ago. With my first trip flying on an airplane, first time visiting Florida, and first time seeing parts of the East Coast all done, I am definitely planning on knocking out just a few more major goals!

For me, purchasing a house is a huge goal. While I may not crush that goal this year, I am creating "mini" goals in order to achieve it down the road. This includes saving more money, minimizing the personal belongings lying haphazardly about my current living space, and reducing my waste in general. So far, I have begun the processes necessary to succeed in these smaller goals, including donating/consigning my extra and unused clothing. Just as well, I have started the 52 Week Challenge. This consists of pulling random numbers (1 to 52) at the start of each week. Whatever number I pull that specific week is the amount of money I must set aside for savings. In doing this challenge, I will have enough to upgrade the older features of my life (especially my iPhone 5), or take a necessary vacation. 

It is my deepest hopes that I am able to stick to these goals, even creating new habits from them, so that I may end this year strong, productive, and content. Wish me luck in doing so, just as I wish you all luck in crushing your goals (no matter how big or small they are). Happy New Year everyone and have fun! :)