Happy Anniversary

Four years ago today I met the love of my life, three years ago she became my wife, two years ago she made me a father and today I'm grateful for everything I have.

How I met Karine

I had been in a long-term relationship that ended in February of 2006. So I decided that I was going to just date, date for the sake of dating, which was something I never felt I’d ever done successfully. So I went on a succession of blind dates and hook ups, each slightly more bizarre than the last. To the point that I had at one point said to my friend Jenny “ I just don’t think I’m supposed to be married. Some guys are just bachelors all their life, maybe that’s just me.”

So one day in Mid-June, I was checking my e-mail and saw one from Match.com. As a lark I clicked onto the site and discovered to my surprise that I had an eight- year old profile on Match. So I decided to give it a go, updated it appropriately, and began looking through the various profiles on the site. It began a sort of a scattershot idea, seeing which ones attracted me and winking (a form of initial contact on Match). So as I was going through them and looking at a lot of attractive photos, yet there were only a few who drew me to them. I started talking to a nice young lady who was a medical intern, but it wasn’t really going anywhere. Then one day as I was checking my messages and going through the profiles and I see a photo of a curly haired brunette. She had the cutest smile on her face and this wistful look in her eyes. She talked about her love of travel and how she was looking for adventure. So I decided to wink at her, completely convinced that she would never ever talk to me.

Surprise of surprises however came because not only did she wink back at me; we began to correspond by e-mail, talking about our work and our lives and our families. This happened for about a week until we finally decided to talk to each other on the phone. And soon discovered that not only did we share a love of Comic books, Sci fi and fantasy but we lived a block a way from each other. After about two weeks of long conversations on the phone we set a date to meet each other face to face.

JULY 5^TH 2006

This day will be burned into my mind for the rest of my life. What could have been the worst day ever turned into the first step in a new direction in my life. My younger brother, Jean Michael, had disappeared and never made it to work. We were all in a state of extreme panic, except for my mother, whose unshakeable faith kept me from going mad. I knew I had made this date; I didn’t want to go feeling the way I did. At the same time however I need to take my mind off of my problems. I figured the date would last as long as a cup of coffee once she got a good look at me.

We had decided to meet at a local diner, Daisy’s. I got there first so I wouldn’t be late. She hadn’t arrived yet, so I decided I was only going to wait another 5 minutes and I was going to take off. Just as I turned to leave I saw this bob of curly brown hair walk past the neon sign and as she walked through the door and I saw that angelic face. Only one though went through my head.

She’s so much cuter than her picture.

We decided to skip Daisy’s and head over to another restaurant, the Park Slope Chip Shop. We sat and talked and I forgot about everything else in the world however that little bit of serenity didn’t last. I needed to go to the Bronx, to be with the rest of the family. I told Karine everything that was going on and was very understanding. I took the train up to the Bronx and about 10 minutes after I got to my mom’s place, Karine called to see if there was anything she could do to help. I was touched. More than touched actually. When I got off the phone, mom asked me who it was I said,” It’s this girl I had a date with tonight”. She said ”Oh really, what s she like?” and I just replied,” She’s nice, there’s something about her, I don’t know what it is.”

We started to date for what seemed like an eternity but was only a few weeks. We didn’t want to ruin anything so we decided on a three-date rule, which we did stick to. I t was the hardest three weeks of my life. Our first date was a movie “Art School Confidential” that turned into an all day excursion around the village, talking about everything under the sun and letting the conversation guide us.

We ended up spending every conceivable moment together. One night we were in bed and started talking about the future, about what we wanted from our lives and the subject of marriage came up. For the first time in my life I did something that took me by surprise even while I was doing it, I popped out of bed, dropped to one knee and asked Karine to Marry me. My only thought at the time was” I should just ask her now, because I can’t think of anyone else I’d rather spend my life with.” I was even more surprised when she said yes!

Karine is one of the most intelligent, talented people I’ve ever met. Her sweet nature takes my breath away. When she smiles she lights up a room and anyone who knows her and any one who has ever met her always says the same thing. “She’s so sweet.” She’s kind to everyone she encounters but brutally honest as well. I respect the fact that she says what’s on her mind, never avoiding problems, rather tackling them head on.

She makes me smile all the time, She’s funny as hell her laugh is infectious.

There’s gentleness to her, and at the same time she’s as rough and tumble as any guy. She loves a challenge, big or small. I’m impressed by her energy

I love her because she makes me feel weak and strong at the same time. She cares for me the way no one else has ever cared for me. When I feel vulnerable she always takes me in her arms and makes me feel like the world doesn’t exist. It’s just the two of us and as long as we have each other, we can accomplish anything. We can talk about any subject and never once have we been at a loss for words with each other. I love her more than any words I could come up with could ever properly explain.