I have been watching a lot of movies lately that make me feel emotional about love: Finding love, messing up love, growing old with the one you love, losing love, losing loved ones, etc. Because of this, I thought I'd tell the story of how I became an Oshimbo.(If you were wondering, Oshimbo is a combination of both our last names. We jokingly said we'd be like Mayor Villaraigosa of Los Angeles who made a new last name when he and his wife married; however, ours was a silly name and not one I wanted officially on documents. I do like it for websites though)
This is taken from our Wedding website, that is now defunct.
In it, we each told the story of how we met, how we fell in love, and how we got engaged. I will post both stories even though they are long because it's an account of our lives at a certain time written by each of us. It's something I hope will remind me of where we came from to make sure we never lose the memory of early love. But I will also use it to see how far we have come and how far we have yet to travel together.
Yes, it is overly romanticized as all young love is, but it is from the heart.
2005
My Story:
The first thing I knew about Oracio was his name. He was a new hire at my work and I needed to add his name to a few databases and make some announcements to our work department. I never want to offend new hires by spelling their name wrong. I ensured I was spelling Oracio Palumbo correctly. Then in February 2001, Oracio started work. I came out of my cubicle and sucked in my breath because no one told me Oracio Palumbo was also very handsome. As I introduced myself to him, I felt my cheeks blushing because I was embarrassed that I was attracted to a new co-worker. I asked him if Oracio was OK for the databases. I think this is where he said to call him Ross, and to use that name for all databases, but I couldn't remember what he was actually saying while my mind raced with other nervous thoughts. I ended up putting Oracio into the databases instead of Ross, as he requested. The crush started that day.
We both moved to Atlanta, GA with the company. It was a 12 to 18-Mo commitment to stay (we've been here 4-Yrs this April). I moved into my house and Ross looked for an apartment. He bought a motorcycle and fatefully got a flat tire during his apartment hunting. I was trying to set up my television cabling, and our friend John brought Ross over after helping him with the flat tire. Ross was a technical wizard and was able to set up my television with no problems. I used this knowledge to my advantage when I called him over the next week to hook up my speakers. It was then we started to get to know each other past the "crush" stage.
On July 21, 2001, we went on our first date. Ross says it was not a true first date because he didn't know if I was really interested in him. I accepted the invitation, so believe me, I was interested. I was really nervous because I hadn't been in the dating arena for a few years (Previous long-term relationship). I didn't know if I should be how I really was all the time, or if there was some first date behavior to follow. So I went with my instincts and let Ross see me for exactly who I was: nervous, silly, chatty, slightly awkward, quiet at times, but hopefully also sweet, kind, and caring.
That date led to a few more "non-dates" in the next week, until Ross' official first date about a week and a half later. I guess by this time, he knew I was interested. The rest followed pretty easily. We started spending a lot of time together and our relationship grew. I knew I loved him pretty early. I didn't tell him until about 6-Mo into the courtship. I waited patiently while he contemplated his feelings for me. I knew he loved me back, but to say the words was a really big deal for him, and not something to be taken lightly. On our 1-Yr anniversary, he told me and I cried. I knew he was the man I wanted to spend forever with at that moment because when he said "I Love You," I knew he meant it.
I am sure after our second anniversary Ross felt like I was starting to ask the "M" word questions. But, we were able to talk about it, even if it was not confirmed. It was a long year for me because I wanted to get married to him so badly. I was ready. I stayed patient and the end result was better than I could have ever imagined.
On 07/21/2004, we went to eat at the Westin hotel's Sun Dial restaurant situated 72-stories above the ground, overlooking the entire Atlanta city. The restaurant spun in a circle allowing us to capture the beauty of the whole city while we ate. It was very romantic. Afterwards, Ross pretended we were leaving, but instead had set up a surprise for me. He took me to the 67th floor and opened the door to a beautifully modern art deco room with full windows overlooking Atlanta's Centennial Park. Around the room were dozens of long stem red gerbera daisies covering the bed, desk, windows, and any other surface. Ross left me in the room while he said he was getting ice. I sat patiently waiting for the next 10-Min until he returned with no ice in the bucket (?). Then, he walked to the door that opened to the adjoining room and said, "I wonder if it's open?" As he turned the knob, it opened, and I glimpsed another room. At first I thought the door was left open by mistake, until I saw red gerbera daisies. As the door opened further, I saw and smelled scented candles, and a bottle of Dom Perignon (1995) sitting in an ice bucket. There were fresh cherries (his favorite) and strawberries (my favorite) sitting in a bowl. The skyline glistened through the wall length windows. At first I thought it was just a beautiful romantic way to spend our 3rd anniversary, until I saw the video camera set up on the counter. I quizzically looked at Ross, who said a special night needed to be captured. He opened the Champagne and we toasted. Then, he reached to one side of the couch and came back on one knee. THIS WAS IT...THE MOMENT I HAD BEEN DREAMING OF MY WHOLE LIFE...AND IT'S ON FILM! The proposal was beautiful, but honestly, I think I heard my heart pounding louder than the words. And then the box opened, and he placed a spectacular ring on my finger. I, of course, said YES! I haven't watched the videotape. I think I'll be embarrassed, but maybe our kids and grandkids will one day like to see us when we were young.
Now as I write this, I am still so lucky that Ross and I met. It is all about timing. Had he not taken the job at the same place I worked, we would have never met. While we both lived in Southern California, we were hours apart. He'd never even been to the end of LA County/Orange County before. And had we not moved to Atlanta, I think the distance in our California cities would have kept us from really getting to know each other. We have been able to grow as individuals and a couple while living in Georgia. That time will always be special to me. And while we plan to eventually move back to California, for now we are building a home and life together. It will never matter where we live as long as we are together.
I cannot wait until our wedding day. It will be the next chapter of our lives starting. I hope to share it with you, our friends and family. See you September 3rd!
His Story:
In February 2001, I had just been hired at a new company where I would eventually meet my fiance, Diane. She was a stunning 25-year old Japanese-Mexican-American with beautiful long mocha brown hair and vanilla blonde streaks at the time of our first meeting (hair color changes often). She was wearing a tailor-fitted blue skirt, a white silk blouse under a matching fitted blue blazer that radiated her confidence. Her hair was pulled up projecting her professionalism. She made me weak at the knees. Although physically beautiful, when she spoke I heard a voice that exuded a sensitive, intelligent, and intellectual person that magnified her beauty to the point of collapse. We began dating on July 21, 2001 and after two and a half years, I decided I was ready in my heart, soul, and pocketbook for marriage. For the proposal to be as special and memorable as possible I had to create a magical night to "pop the question." It was important to me because Diane is a special woman and deserves nothing less.
In February 2004, I creatively planned the details for the evening; from wearing the right shirt to go with my evening suit, to the champagne we would celebrate with if the answer was "yes." I decided on July 21, 2004, our 3-year anniversary, to propose. I had the evening scheduled down to the minute. I started my search for vendors and gathered contact numbers for all the items I needed. After flipping through phone books to the point that my fingers were black from the ink, and making several Google web searches, I had amassed a fairly large list. It took some time to actually gather all the items I needed, but I fortunately had time on my side to have everything ready to make July 21, 2004 a memorable occasion. Everything was in place and the only thing left to do was enjoy the evening when it arrived and pop the question.
On July 21, 2004, I knew the night was going to be magical. I arrived at Diane's house with more than a few butterflies in my stomach, nervous about the new chapter in my life I was about to begin. I picked her up for what she thought was a normal dinner to celebrate our anniversary. We arrived at the Westin Peachtree Plaza hotel and took a non-stop ride in a glass elevator to the 72nd floor, over 700-feet above the ground, where the Sundial Restaurant is located. We sat and enjoyed our dinner, conversation, and company while enjoying the breathtaking view of Atlanta from the rotating platform. The view of the city night and its twinkling lights was amazing. We were literally on cloud-nine. After dinner, we retreated to a suite I had reserved. I decorated it beforehand with five dozen cherry red Gerbera daisies. Waiting for us was a bowl of chilled strawberries, a bottle of Dom Perignon (1995), and the enchanting view we had come to admire during dinner. The moment and setting were perfect. There was only one thing left to do.
As we sat, I could sense by her reaction of amazement that she began to suspect I was up to something. Without waiting any further and doing everything to ignore my sweating and shaking hands, I reached to the side of the couch to grab the ring and fell to one knee. Her eyes widened and tears of what I hoped were for joy began to run down her blushed cheeks. As I attempted to say those four little words, I began to stutter. I stopped, took a deep breath, and looked into her soul to calm and relax me. I then, with ease, wholeheartedly asked, "Will you marry me?" I opened the velvet box which revealed the sparkling, colorless diamond on a Jeff Cooper platinum setting she hinted about months ago. Then a silence which seemed to drag on for hours was broken when she answered, "YES," with a warm and loving smile on her face.
The evening was magical; one I will remember for the rest of my life. The preparation, the mood that was saturated with emotions I experienced will all help me now as I work with my partner in life to build our family and future life together.
In it, we each told the story of how we met, how we fell in love, and how we got engaged. I will post both stories even though they are long because it's an account of our lives at a certain time written by each of us. It's something I hope will remind me of where we came from to make sure we never lose the memory of early love. But I will also use it to see how far we have come and how far we have yet to travel together.
Yes, it is overly romanticized as all young love is, but it is from the heart.
2005
My Story:
The first thing I knew about Oracio was his name. He was a new hire at my work and I needed to add his name to a few databases and make some announcements to our work department. I never want to offend new hires by spelling their name wrong. I ensured I was spelling Oracio Palumbo correctly. Then in February 2001, Oracio started work. I came out of my cubicle and sucked in my breath because no one told me Oracio Palumbo was also very handsome. As I introduced myself to him, I felt my cheeks blushing because I was embarrassed that I was attracted to a new co-worker. I asked him if Oracio was OK for the databases. I think this is where he said to call him Ross, and to use that name for all databases, but I couldn't remember what he was actually saying while my mind raced with other nervous thoughts. I ended up putting Oracio into the databases instead of Ross, as he requested. The crush started that day.
We both moved to Atlanta, GA with the company. It was a 12 to 18-Mo commitment to stay (we've been here 4-Yrs this April). I moved into my house and Ross looked for an apartment. He bought a motorcycle and fatefully got a flat tire during his apartment hunting. I was trying to set up my television cabling, and our friend John brought Ross over after helping him with the flat tire. Ross was a technical wizard and was able to set up my television with no problems. I used this knowledge to my advantage when I called him over the next week to hook up my speakers. It was then we started to get to know each other past the "crush" stage.
On July 21, 2001, we went on our first date. Ross says it was not a true first date because he didn't know if I was really interested in him. I accepted the invitation, so believe me, I was interested. I was really nervous because I hadn't been in the dating arena for a few years (Previous long-term relationship). I didn't know if I should be how I really was all the time, or if there was some first date behavior to follow. So I went with my instincts and let Ross see me for exactly who I was: nervous, silly, chatty, slightly awkward, quiet at times, but hopefully also sweet, kind, and caring.
That date led to a few more "non-dates" in the next week, until Ross' official first date about a week and a half later. I guess by this time, he knew I was interested. The rest followed pretty easily. We started spending a lot of time together and our relationship grew. I knew I loved him pretty early. I didn't tell him until about 6-Mo into the courtship. I waited patiently while he contemplated his feelings for me. I knew he loved me back, but to say the words was a really big deal for him, and not something to be taken lightly. On our 1-Yr anniversary, he told me and I cried. I knew he was the man I wanted to spend forever with at that moment because when he said "I Love You," I knew he meant it.
I am sure after our second anniversary Ross felt like I was starting to ask the "M" word questions. But, we were able to talk about it, even if it was not confirmed. It was a long year for me because I wanted to get married to him so badly. I was ready. I stayed patient and the end result was better than I could have ever imagined.
On 07/21/2004, we went to eat at the Westin hotel's Sun Dial restaurant situated 72-stories above the ground, overlooking the entire Atlanta city. The restaurant spun in a circle allowing us to capture the beauty of the whole city while we ate. It was very romantic. Afterwards, Ross pretended we were leaving, but instead had set up a surprise for me. He took me to the 67th floor and opened the door to a beautifully modern art deco room with full windows overlooking Atlanta's Centennial Park. Around the room were dozens of long stem red gerbera daisies covering the bed, desk, windows, and any other surface. Ross left me in the room while he said he was getting ice. I sat patiently waiting for the next 10-Min until he returned with no ice in the bucket (?). Then, he walked to the door that opened to the adjoining room and said, "I wonder if it's open?" As he turned the knob, it opened, and I glimpsed another room. At first I thought the door was left open by mistake, until I saw red gerbera daisies. As the door opened further, I saw and smelled scented candles, and a bottle of Dom Perignon (1995) sitting in an ice bucket. There were fresh cherries (his favorite) and strawberries (my favorite) sitting in a bowl. The skyline glistened through the wall length windows. At first I thought it was just a beautiful romantic way to spend our 3rd anniversary, until I saw the video camera set up on the counter. I quizzically looked at Ross, who said a special night needed to be captured. He opened the Champagne and we toasted. Then, he reached to one side of the couch and came back on one knee. THIS WAS IT...THE MOMENT I HAD BEEN DREAMING OF MY WHOLE LIFE...AND IT'S ON FILM! The proposal was beautiful, but honestly, I think I heard my heart pounding louder than the words. And then the box opened, and he placed a spectacular ring on my finger. I, of course, said YES! I haven't watched the videotape. I think I'll be embarrassed, but maybe our kids and grandkids will one day like to see us when we were young.
Now as I write this, I am still so lucky that Ross and I met. It is all about timing. Had he not taken the job at the same place I worked, we would have never met. While we both lived in Southern California, we were hours apart. He'd never even been to the end of LA County/Orange County before. And had we not moved to Atlanta, I think the distance in our California cities would have kept us from really getting to know each other. We have been able to grow as individuals and a couple while living in Georgia. That time will always be special to me. And while we plan to eventually move back to California, for now we are building a home and life together. It will never matter where we live as long as we are together.
I cannot wait until our wedding day. It will be the next chapter of our lives starting. I hope to share it with you, our friends and family. See you September 3rd!
His Story:
In February 2001, I had just been hired at a new company where I would eventually meet my fiance, Diane. She was a stunning 25-year old Japanese-Mexican-American with beautiful long mocha brown hair and vanilla blonde streaks at the time of our first meeting (hair color changes often). She was wearing a tailor-fitted blue skirt, a white silk blouse under a matching fitted blue blazer that radiated her confidence. Her hair was pulled up projecting her professionalism. She made me weak at the knees. Although physically beautiful, when she spoke I heard a voice that exuded a sensitive, intelligent, and intellectual person that magnified her beauty to the point of collapse. We began dating on July 21, 2001 and after two and a half years, I decided I was ready in my heart, soul, and pocketbook for marriage. For the proposal to be as special and memorable as possible I had to create a magical night to "pop the question." It was important to me because Diane is a special woman and deserves nothing less.
In February 2004, I creatively planned the details for the evening; from wearing the right shirt to go with my evening suit, to the champagne we would celebrate with if the answer was "yes." I decided on July 21, 2004, our 3-year anniversary, to propose. I had the evening scheduled down to the minute. I started my search for vendors and gathered contact numbers for all the items I needed. After flipping through phone books to the point that my fingers were black from the ink, and making several Google web searches, I had amassed a fairly large list. It took some time to actually gather all the items I needed, but I fortunately had time on my side to have everything ready to make July 21, 2004 a memorable occasion. Everything was in place and the only thing left to do was enjoy the evening when it arrived and pop the question.
On July 21, 2004, I knew the night was going to be magical. I arrived at Diane's house with more than a few butterflies in my stomach, nervous about the new chapter in my life I was about to begin. I picked her up for what she thought was a normal dinner to celebrate our anniversary. We arrived at the Westin Peachtree Plaza hotel and took a non-stop ride in a glass elevator to the 72nd floor, over 700-feet above the ground, where the Sundial Restaurant is located. We sat and enjoyed our dinner, conversation, and company while enjoying the breathtaking view of Atlanta from the rotating platform. The view of the city night and its twinkling lights was amazing. We were literally on cloud-nine. After dinner, we retreated to a suite I had reserved. I decorated it beforehand with five dozen cherry red Gerbera daisies. Waiting for us was a bowl of chilled strawberries, a bottle of Dom Perignon (1995), and the enchanting view we had come to admire during dinner. The moment and setting were perfect. There was only one thing left to do.
As we sat, I could sense by her reaction of amazement that she began to suspect I was up to something. Without waiting any further and doing everything to ignore my sweating and shaking hands, I reached to the side of the couch to grab the ring and fell to one knee. Her eyes widened and tears of what I hoped were for joy began to run down her blushed cheeks. As I attempted to say those four little words, I began to stutter. I stopped, took a deep breath, and looked into her soul to calm and relax me. I then, with ease, wholeheartedly asked, "Will you marry me?" I opened the velvet box which revealed the sparkling, colorless diamond on a Jeff Cooper platinum setting she hinted about months ago. Then a silence which seemed to drag on for hours was broken when she answered, "YES," with a warm and loving smile on her face.
The evening was magical; one I will remember for the rest of my life. The preparation, the mood that was saturated with emotions I experienced will all help me now as I work with my partner in life to build our family and future life together.
I like our story. =)
Me too! I love you!