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| Flag Day at FSI- we're going to Guangzhou, China! |
Sara will tell you about the first time we met, and you'll hear about when we first started dating a bit later. What I remember most about our early days together is being impressed by how kind and adventurous she was. Always caring and always up for something fun, she immediately started to win my heart.
We met in Macedonia, we've grown together in DC, and now we're going to set out on a life together embracing one adventure after another as husband and wife. Her kind heart, quick smile, and caring eyes will be what keeps me moving forward, I only hope I can live up to the example she sets.
The Groom
I remember the first time I saw Phil. It was at Hotel Satelit, about 2 hours after landing in Macedonia. Phil was one of the Volunteers who got to welcome in the new group of Volunteers, the Mak-16s. There he was wearing his signature dress shirt, jeans, and blazer. In my jet-lagged haze, I remember looking at him and thinking, "Who is this man wearing a blazer and cowboy boots?" [remember the jet-lagged part- despite having lived in Texas, he was NOT wearing cowboy boots].
Phil often will ask me why I love him, in utter disbelief that I could fall for someone like him. If you have met Phil, you know why. He is an unbelievably amazing man- hardworking, intelligent, funny, and an all around wonderful person. And hey, it doesn't hurt that he has a fantastic job and will take me all over the world!
The Couple
We owe everything to our friend, Jason, and Sara's lack of buses. In April of 2012, Sara was heading home after a weekend with her host family celebrating her host sister's birthday. She was texting her friend Jason, who was visiting Phil in Shtip. Jason, being the charming guy he is, convinced Sara to stop by and visit on her way home. A short bus ride later, the three were sitting at the Irish Pub in Shtip. Lunch ran late and there were no more buses for Sara to take home, forcing her to spend the night at Phil's. That night, Phil, Jason, and Sara laid out on Phil's balcony looking up at the stars and talking.
About a week later, Sara returned to Shtip to help with the Macedonia Model United Nations conference. We got a chance to get to know each other a bit better that weekend. The following week, we both were headed to Skopje for a training. Due to limited buses (again!) for Sara, she asked Phil if she could spend the night at his house. He obliged and we went to the bus station to buy our tickets, passing a wine festival on the way. The bus was sold out, so we purchased tickets for the next bus, but had an hour wait. Seizing every opportunity for engaging in the local culture, we ran back to the wine festival, and enjoyed a bottle of Popova Kula's Vranec and some kabobs and decided we kinda liked each other.
Many Macedonian bus rides, bottles of wine, many different countries, and one very exciting job offer later, we are living in Washington D.C. until we head to Guangzhou, China in December. This is just the start of our worldwide adventures together!
