Our Story
The first time we met, neither of us had any idea how perfect we were for each other. It wasn't until we met again 2 months later that sparks flew. Love can be a funny thing...
According to Chris...
Halloween is a holiday for surprises and for the unexpected. It’s a day that celebrates the joy and thrill of the unknown. It’s a time when things are not what they seem.
How appropriate that I first met Fiya on a trip to a haunted house! It was October ’06 and we had both been invited by friends to explore Markoff’s Haunted Forest, which involved following a candle-lit hiking trail through a secluded pitch black forest filled with ghosts and ghouls lurking behind every bend.
My first impression of Fiya was that she was a pretty, petite gal with a big smile and an unassuming attitude. In the haunted forest, we would soon learn she also had a big set of lungs.
As we wandered through the darkness of the forest, surviving werewolves and vampires, she literally clung to my side. I claim she held me tight out of pure attraction. She claims she held me tight out of pure fear and shock. Either way, I left with fingernail scars in my arm from her iron grip.
The truth is that neither of us realized the full potential of our relationship that first night. There was truly more than met the eye. Her grip on my arm from that evening pales in comparison to her grip on my heart today.
We went our separate ways and did not see each other again until after Christmas. Dancing the night away at a friend’s birthday party, there were sparks. I asked her out for dinner. She suggested brunch. Our second date was yoga. And by our third date, I knew I was going to marry this girl. In fact, I told her so.
The funny thing is that we both had fears. There were clearly cultural differences, diverging philosophies on life, and a totally opposite set of hobbies. And yet, we fit together so well. We all walk around with some notion of a perfect soulmate, but sometimes you don’t know what you are looking for until you find it. As we stopped counting dates and learned to trust each other, our old fears dissipated like darkness at sunrise.
One year later, I proposed to her in the middle of a river, standing on a secluded rocky outcrop, on the most beautiful day of the year. She said yes. Now, we look forward to more thrills, surprises, and sunrises together.
According to Fiya...
Haunted house? No thanks. Haunted forest? Double no thanks. My friend Mark invited me to join a group of friends for a haunted forest in Maryland. But I really did not understand why anyone would pay money to have other people scare them! It took a LOT of persuasion to get me to go. It was a decision that changed my life.
The haunted forest was terrible. I was terrified. There was blood, freaked-out gorillas, and people with chainsaws. Chris stayed next to me the whole night…. My Hero. I knew he liked me when he switched seats in the car to be right next to me during the ride home.
I was suspicious of his intentions when he asked me out. On our first date, I grilled him like a FBI agent interrogating a criminal. His story made no sense. Why so many cities, why leave a career in Boston, what is he looking for?
As I began to understand his story, his courage and passion inspired me. But I also realized he was looking for something else in his life. And it was ME!
I never thought going to the haunted forest would lead me to the man I love. Now, I love returning to the forest where we first met. Nothing scares me because I know my hero will always be there for me when I need him.
