I love meeting new people and hearing their stories. As a Marine family, we have a unique opportunity to meet people from all over the world. Since we've moved to Yuma, we've started to meet new people, and have had people over at our house twice already for dinner. I feel like food and wine is the best way to bring a new group of people together. I love hearing people's stories about how they grew up, where they grew up, and how they ended up where they are now.
The question that Nick and I get ALL. THE. TIME. when we meet new people is, "How did y'all meet?" (or if they're not from the south, "How did you guys meet?"). I think people are intrigued because we didn't meet in college, we are from two completely different states, and because I was a Marine. In his former life, Nick was an artilleryman (an MOS that was, at the time, only males). So people get curious to know how this chick from the airwing landed her this sexy artilleryman. So I thought I'd share our "love story", because it's my favorite (duh).
Also, if you already know us really well and know how we met, you can totally skip this blog post, cause it's long.
SO....Here. We. Go.
I returned from Iraq at the end of 2007. I had just been promoted to Sgt in Iraq, and on my second enlistment. I knew that if I wanted to be promoted to SSgt before my 8 year mark hit, I would need to do a special duty assignment (recruiting duty, drill instructor duty, embassy duty). Recruiting duty was almost a guaranteed pathway to SSgt because it is considered one of the most difficult assignments, so I volunteered to go on recruiting. This was a big deal, because no one volunteers for recruiting. No one wants to put themselves through that hell.
My request for recruiting duty was quickly approved (before I could change my mind), and I had orders to report to recruiters school at MCRD San Diego in April of 2008. One of the prerequisites for a Sgt to get promoted to SSgt is to attend Sgts Course (an intense, month long leadership course). Since I would not be able to attend Sgts Course while on recruiting duty, my command let me go in February of 2008. I met a guy in my class that ended up liking me more than I liked him. My birthday is in March, and I had zero plans. Another female Marine that I worked with agreed to go out with me to a bar called Hennessey's in Dana Point, CA to celebrate my birthday with me (and the guy I met in Sgts Course). He had practically invited himself when he found out I was going out. The night sucked, because the guy was being a jerk to me, and I just wanted him to leave. He was super jealous and possessive, and that wasn't ok with me. I made me decision that night that whatever "thing" I had going on with this guy needed to end ASAP. I did my best to keep my distance and avoid him all night. I ran into a friend at that bar who was hanging out with two of his friends. I told him about my frustrations with this guy that had crashed my birthday, and he let me hang out with him for a little bit. Nick happened to be one of his friends. He was wearing an American Eagle polo shirt and his Alabama hat (boo!) slightly crooked on his head. I had been drinking, and was a little drunk, and all I remember is taking his hat off his head and flirting with him. We didn't exchange phone numbers or anything, and our meeting was brief at the bar. The night ended, and I remember leaving the bar in tears because of the jerky guy that ruined the night for me. The cute guy I met at the bar in the Alabama hat was just a distant memory. I didn't expect to ever see him again.
That following Monday, I was scheduled to go to the rifle range for the week for my annual rifle qualification. My unit always shot at a range called Wilcox range, but they were having shooting matches there that week. I was switched to go shoot at Edson Range where Marine recruits who are attending boot camp at MCRD San Diego shoot. The first week of rifle qualification is called "snap in" week. Snap in week is when Marines just get refamiliarized with the shooting positions for qualification, and make sure our weapons shoot straight. We basically just lay around in the grass for hours at a time shooting pretend bullets at pretend targets painted on a barrel. (see below)
I was bored, and counting down the hours when we could turn our weapons back into the armory. When the time came, I eagerly got up, adjusted the sling on my rifle, and started to get my things together to turn my rifle in. That's when this tall Marine walked up to me, and asked, "Were you at Hennessey's this past weekend?"
I looked up and realized it was "Mr. Alabama hat"! I was mortified that he was seeing me in my hot mess state....dirty cammies, probably a little smelly, sweaty, no make up....oh my Lord.
We struck up a short conversation, and he left. I found out he was a drill instructor, and he was also qualifying on the same range as me because this was one of the only times he had time to qualify. His recruits were at Camp Pendleton for the month for "2nd phase", when recruits are bussed from MCRD San Diego to Camp Pendleton to do field training and rifle qualification.
That week, Nick always chose to snap in next to me. He always walked back to the armory with me. What's funny is that he was a SSgt at the time, and I was a Sgt. Because he was a SNCO, he was allowed to drive his weapon in his personal vehicle to the armory to turn his weapon in. The walk to the armory from the range was long (especially after a long, hot day in the sun), and I thought it was so weird he was choosing to walk. I asked him why he didn't just drive, and his response was, "because I want to show all these other SNCO's that they're weak." I later found out that he was only walking because he wanted to spend time with me.
Those two weeks on the rifle range, we became friends. As one of the only females on the entire range, he thought it was hilarious watching every single male range coach try and "coach" me into being a better shooter. We became MySpace friends. Yes, we are old, and MySpace was a thing when we met. I remember messaging him back and forth on MySpace after a long day of shooting. I wish I still had my account so I could read those messages. I don't know why, but I vividly remember one message I wrote him asking what he was up to. His reply was, "I just came home from a run, and I'm eating an apple and watching the sun set." I don't know why that message sticks out in my head, but it does.
This was the very end of March, and by April I was in recruiters' school at MCRD San Diego, and to say our relationship moved fast would be an understatement. Our first official date, he invited me over to his apartment for dinner. He tried to make me grilled chicken, but his propane tank ran out before the chicken cooked all the way. He also served me country crock, microwaveable mashed potatoes, and frozen vegetables that he heat up in a pan. Because he knew I enjoyed wine, he even splurged on a nice red. Ok, it was Lambrusco, and it's like $6.99 for a huge bottle. It's overly sweet, and it's not good. Either way, I thought he was sweet, and gave him an A for effort. We watched Top Gun after he made me watch the Michael Jackson Thriller video. I still laugh when I hear Thriller on the radio or see the video pop up somewhere. It was just so random that he would want to show me this random Michael Jackson video from the 80's. We were in love...after only officially dating for like 2 weeks.
At a recruiters' school class BBQ.
Yes, that's an Ed Hardy tank top I am wearing (it was very trendy then), and yes, Nick is wearing an Alabama hat).
Meanwhile, in recruiters' school, we were preparing to find out our duty station assignments (where we would be recruiting at). I was a solid candidate to end up in San Diego, because I had volunteered for this duty. Volunteers usually get priority when it comes to duty station choice for recruiting duty. I had already gone and spoken to the recruiter instructor for San Diego, and they had already let the schoolhouse know that they wanted me. On the day we were to find out our assignments, I was told I was going to Duluth freaking Georgia. WHAT?! CLEARLY, this has to be a mix up. This is not possible. I marched my butt into my instructor's office, and basically said, "WTF?!" He then explained that the recruiting station in Georgia was in desperate need of a Korean speaking recruiter, because of the heavy Korean population there. There was one other Korean speaking recruiter in recruiters' school with me at the time, and my first thought was, "why me, and why not him?" He had not volunteered for this assignment. He was forced to be here. Then my instructor told me it was because he was married, and owned a home in San Diego county. What??? I'm being punished for being single and not owning a home? Stop it. I'm pretty sure I cried.
I went to Nick's apartment that evening, and we started talking about a long distance relationship....coast to coast. I was so upset, and angry that the Marine who didn't choose this duty got what he wanted because he was married and owned a home. After a few days of letting that news simmer in my head, I finally just blurted out, "We should get married. They have a year to put us within 100 miles of each other if we're a dual active duty couple. They'll have to send me back to California since the closest recruit training base to Duluth is Parris Island (300 miles away)." The details after I blurted that out are fuzzy, but Nick didn't hesitate to say, "ok, let's do it." We booked a round trip flight to Vegas that Friday and returning Saturday. We weren't going to Vegas to party or gamble. We were going there to get married...oh, and we didn't tell anyone. Not our parents, not our friends, and not our commands.
After Nick and I got off work on Friday (May 31, 2008), and we both headed to the airport together. We stopped at a mall jewelry store to buy two cheap wedding bands, and boarded our flight to Vegas. We checked into a super seedy motel, and headed to the Hooters hotel to have dinner (we were super classy people). We had dinner. I drank key lime pie martinis, and Nick drank Newcastle beer.
Photo of us at the bar at Hooters.
I wore a tube top from Express, express boot cut jeans, wedges, and had my Louis Vuitton on my arm!
We grabbed a cab (this was before Uber and Lyft), and asked the cabdriver to take us to the courthouse. The courthouse in Vegas is open 24 hours a day. We got there probably around 10 in the evening, and stood in line with a bunch of inebriated people getting their marriage licenses to get married. In fact, the couple in front of us in line told us that they had just met that night, and were getting married. They were extremely drunk. I thought to myself, "I can't believe I am doing this here." After getting our marriage license, we headed back to our cab, and asked the driver to take us to any chapel that does weddings "on the go". He took us to "the Little White Chapel", where Nick and I were married by a Japanese man named "Alejandro". I think we laughed through the entire "ceremony", because of how absurd this entire thing was.
Right before we got married.
If you can see behind us, those are pews.
Tiny Vegas chapel!
Afterwards, we went back to the Hooters hotel to their country bar, had a drink, danced to one song, told a random couple that we just got married, and headed back to our motel. We were flying back to San Diego Saturday morning. We woke up early Saturday, and flew back to San Diego as a married couple, and Nick went into work.
That following Monday, I announced to my instructor that I got married. I'll never forget the look on his face when I broke the news to him. I was about to raise some hell in recruiters' school. By me getting married, they were almost forced to switch my orders to San Diego, and send the other Korean speaking Marine to Georgia. The SgtMaj of the schoolhouse called me into his office, and yelled at me. Other students in my class were giving me major shade. "How could you screw over that other guy?" When in reality, I hadn't screwed him over. He screwed me over. People told us our marriage was fraudulent because they assumed we only got married so that I could remain in San Diego. I didn't really care though. I loved Nick, and I was going to get to be with him (oh, and recruit where I originally wanted to recruit at). Oh, and we still hadn't told our families.
I checked into RS San Diego in June, where the CO yelled at me for causing such a ruckus in recruiters school. She was so scary, and I'm pretty sure she made me cry. I'm pretty sure she hated me. She transferred me to Orange County, just 45 minutes north of San Diego (praise the Lord) where I spent my time as a recruiter. Nick and I got a tiny 800 sq ft apartment in San Clemente filled with IKEA furniture, and were the happiest we had ever been.
The story of telling our families deserves its' own blog post, so I'll have to share that some other time. We have been happily married for 10 years, and have lived in 6 addresses between 4 states. We have added two awesome kids to our family. To this day, we don't regret our decision to elope. We have been asked many times by my family to have a big wedding, and we always kindly decline. We love our story, and its' humble beginnings. I love that we don't have the conventional love story that most people have. We knew each about 2 months before getting married. For some reason, I always tell people we only knew each other a month, but now that I've typed this story out, I realize it's actually 2 months. Either way, it was a pretty whirlwind romance, and I wouldn't have it any other way.
