The "in between" and making lasting memories

August 02, 2015

The "in between" and making lasting memories

For our second date, Jaime took me to The Bravern in SLU for their famous fried chicken which yes is even better than Ezells. I am always impressed how he knows the best restaurants to go to. I don't remember much about this date except for the fact that I was nervous. I was nervous because I was starting to realize that I had feelings for Jaime and was worried about falling too hard too fast (flash forward 10 months later and we are married, HA so much for slow and steady). After our date we went back to his place. I just have to say I was SO impressed with how clean and orderly his place was. Jaime if you were a slob that would have been an instant deal breaker just ask anyone in my family. We just sat and talked on his couch for hours after until it got pretty late and then I headed home.

Meanwhile you can guess I was making it to the gym as often as possible. I loved being able to see Jaime. We tried to keep things on the "down low" because for one, I didn't want to be "that girl dating the coach" if you know what I mean and as for Jaime, he had never wanted to date anyone at the gym because he didn't want to be "that crossfit coach who dated all the women at his gym." Well, we both failed and were "that person" in one form or another. We did still keep things between ourselves because it was important to Jaime to maintain his professionalism and I like to fly under the radar when possible. Regardless, people were smart and started to catch on when I would bring him dinner on his breaks from whole foods, when we would WOD or stretch together and be giggling like school kids, when I would come in early to workout with him, when he would be in a rush to kick people out on our date nights, and when we would show up and leave together from social outings.

People could see and feel that we were happy. Jaime and I would talk for hours on the phone like it was 5 minutes, we would stay up until the wee hours of the morning sharing childhood memories, we would sit on the couch laughing and making fun of each other, we would workout and go out to eat over and over and over. We just loved each others company.

The one and only time we ever went to Jack-n-the-Box and got large milkshakes, never again

I'll admit that even though we were getting pretty close I was trying to avoid getting in a long term relationship...that didn't seem to bother Jaime. I told him I was going on dates with other guys and he would just smile and say that he knew I would be back at his place the next day. He was always confident that I would recognize what he had to offer me and I hated admitting that he was right but it was true. I loved his company and there was nothing quite like being around him. He was like my safe zone. He made me laugh, smile, and I was always so relaxed around him, everything just felt so natural and we were always honest with each other, even when it was inconvenient and difficult. Despite the dates I would go on, I would end up driving back to his place to hang out with him and he would open the door with a smirk, knowing he was right the whole time.

As time when on you can guess I stopped going on more dates, there was no point. There was only one person on my mind. We were pretty much inseparable. I would drive over to Jaime's whenever possible and he would cook me the best paleo dishes (I'm not in it for his cooking skills I swear). He is such an amazing cook and I had to admit very early on that I have little to no cooking skills. I'm always on the go and I didn't want him to have any false expectations. Everything I have learned lately I owe to his master chef skills. After eating we would usually debate over what movie to watch and I would have to get lectured about how I apparently never watched any of the classic comedies. The truth is I probably watched majority of them but forgot due to my chronic issue where I crash and fall asleep 5 minutes into any movie (thanks night shift).

I found myself realizing there's only two directions to move with this guy, forward or backwards (cut things off if we weren't gonna take things seriously and start dating). We had talked quite a bit about the church and how central it was to my life. I told him that it was always my goal to have an eternal marriage in the temple and to raise my kids within the church. For some reason my dedication to the gospel never intimidated or scared Jaime nor did it cause a strain on working towards a relationship. It was hard to say after realizing how much I liked him but we always put honesty first and I explained that I didn't want to commit to a relationship with anyone unless they had similar goals. He was so respectful and conveyed that he thought it was very mature that I knew what I was willing to compromise and what I wasn't. Eventually I invited him to church. I'll never forget how kind and calm he was even though he was far outside of his comfort zone. Everyone was curious who he wanted and wanted to meet him (I have been going to this ward since 4th grade so everyone has seen me grow up and bringing a man to church is like bringing a date home for the first time). I'm so proud of Jaime and how much time and energy he has dedicated to learning more about himself and his personal faith. He always told me that his faith was a journey he needed to experience independently. Flashing forward, I never knew I would have someone by my side being so supporting the values, standards and reason why I wake up happy and fulfilled every day. "My goal" has now become "our goal" and working towards it together has strengthened our relationship and love for each other beyond measure.

We have had so many fun memories over the past year of dating there's no way possible to recount them all but looking through my iPhoto helps me track some of the fun memories we have to share.

Hostile Takeover

This is the first picture we ever took together! Jaime was the MC for a NW Crossfit competition at the gym. He had to wakeup early and was stuck there all day and I said I would come out to support and bring him some lunch. It was awesome to see my first competition and he told me that it wouldn't be long before we would start competing together....I told him I still had a lot to learn but I would be down to compete in the future. Thanks to Mike Byron we have these awesome photos! LOOK AT JAIME'S LONG LOCKS! Woah Nelly.

Halloween:

Apparently this is one of the first nights I left my friends to come hang out with Jaime along with some of his crew. I remember being at a party with my best friend and explaining that I was going to meet this guy I really liked from my crossfit gym and I had no clue what to expect. When I saw Jaime he was so happy and said "I didn't expect you to come out and meet me!?" I told him I has dressed up as a lemon (total joke) but was kinda embarrassed to wear my costume that at the bar. I ended up changing and the only thing I had in my car was...guess...workout clothes...so that explains my attire. Also, now that I know Duy I'm not surprised at the pictures he creepishly snapped of us. Apparently he was just confused that Jaime was into someone and wanted to make sure he photo documented the evidence, my face explains my emotion:

Working out:

One aspect that helps strengthen our relationship is that we love to workout together. Whether it's yoga, going to the track, crossfit, or just playing soccer we love to have a good time, push each other, and stay fit. Our overarching goal is to workout to eat, all day everyday, we love food.

Jaime's bday:

November 13th is a special day. Jaime had to work and I wanted to do something for him to celebrate at the gym but I was also running the risk of blowing our cover so I went back and forth about whether or not get him a cake. I ended up coordinating a surprise with our friend and another coach Julie. I got a Costco cake for him and showed up at the gym. I told Julie that she had to distract Jaime so I could bring the cake in and get the candles set up but Jaime kept his eyes on me, ha. Eventually she found a way to distract him and I snuck in the coaches office to light the candles and get everything set up. I really wanted him to know that he's special and even though he had to work on his bday that he is surrounded by people he loves. So that day, we all worked out and then ate a fat piece of cake, makes sense right? Later that weekend we were all able to go out to Korean BBQ for his bday dinner.

Driving to Portland:

For the other part of Jaime's bday he wanted to take the weekend off and head to Portland to eat, shop, and relax. After passing my nursing test I was ecstatic and excited to celebrate with him. The weekend was filled with shopping, eating, more eating, breakfast, lunch, dinner, more eating, happy hour, and snacks. Once again we went to amazing restaurants and I tried more new dishes than I can recount. It was so much fun to shop and mess around trying on different clothes. Oh also at one time we went to Cinnabon and Auntie Em's because we wanted a cinnabon and the cinnamon sticks (as I'm writing this I stand corrected that " I wanted the cinnabon and the cinnamon sticks" GULP). Spending such quality time with Jaime aside from the gym and our families allowed us to talk a lot more about our lives and hopes for the future. It's not like I saw a different side of Jaime on this trip. Jaime was always himself and never changed based on his surroundings, I just fell more and more in love with him as we spent more time and dug deeper into each other's personalities. We enjoyed food at Tasty and Alder, Beesaws,Veritable Quandy, Portland City Grill, Douglas Fir, and of course the famous Voodoo Donuts.

Meeting my parents:

The weekend after Portland I brought Jaime over to meet my Dad and Rosy. Before I could even grab some things from the car Jaime was already up the stairs introducing himself, striking a conversation with my dad and giving them the Voodoo Donuts we brought them from Portland. I didn't have to say or initiate much between Jaime and my parents because he was so solid on holding is own. My parents were very interested in all the similarities between our latin backgrounds. A few days after I asked my parents what they thought of Jaime. I remember Rosy saying something along the lines of "he's very handsome and kind." My Dad said "I really like him but he doesn't seem like your type." HA! Little did he know he would be crying tears of joy after calling him seconds after the proposal 10 months later. Sorry Dad, had to embarrass you a bit. The first time Jaime met me mom was even more hilarious. Before our trip to Portland I brought him over to the house and my mom gave us some of her fresh whole wheat bread (it only lasted the first half hour of our drive to Portland, so good). When I introduced Jaime to my mom she literally sized him up head to toe with these wide eyes and said "WOW you're really strong!" "Are you a professional athlete or something...you definitely look like Adrianna's type." Jaime practically chocked and started laughing...I'm assuming he didn't really know what to say except "Thank you." I told my mom to snap out of it and was practically dying laughing myself.

Treating the entire family to dinner at our place as a married couple for the first time. Menu: Ribs, brown rice, salad, salsa and fresh guacamole and Martinelli's.

Brunch at Portage Bay while crazy Marta was in town

Mother's Day brunch at Brass Tracks

Meeting Jaime's Family:

One of the first times I met Jaime's family ended up being pretty early on in our relationship. He said his Brother's fiance's son was having a football game and he said he would come out to support. I told him I would be totally fine stopping by with him and he said "Don't worry it's probably just my brother and Jan. We showed up to the field and he looked at the stands and said "Uh oh...my whole family is here." I figured it would happen sooner or later so I said no worries and proceeded to meet his Dad, uncle, brother, Jan's family etc. etc. We didn't get to chat much because we were into the game but I ended up being invited to Thanksgiving dinner a few weeks later. Being at Jaime's home with his family felt like "home." The latin feel, warm hugs, music, dancing, good food, jokes, and vibe reminded me of get togethers with my own family. Jaime's parents and family always made me feel so welcome. Jaime's mother is such a sweet and hard working and I have always admired her as woman and mother because of the respect her son's have for her. I always felt honored when Jaime would tell me "You remind me so much of my mother," "You're just like my mother," or "Oh my gosh that's exactly what my mother would say." Jaime's father is such an honorable man. He works so hard for his family and has built a successful business yet always finds time for helping others with his own time and energy. During his beautiful Thanksgiving prayer he thanked the Lord for the abundance his family has and the opportunity that everyone could be together for the holiday. He then added that he was pleased to have a guest in his home for this special holiday and said "We have never seen Jaime happier." When he said that I gasped, opened my eyes and looked at Jaime. He just shook his head a had a little smirk. Looks like we will be spending every Thanksgiving together from here on out!

Visiting Jaime's grandmother in Richmond and meeting Saul's siblings

Enjoying the night out with Saul and Rosario at our favorite restaurant Din Thai Fung

Mama and her boys

The ladies after Christmas mass

The Club:

Another thing I love about Jaime is his love of music. He has such a diverse collection of albums and songs from R&B, latin, rap, hip-hop, oldies, etc. I never get tired of listening to his music. Whenever we were at his place and one of his favorite songs would come up, he would start singing and dancing in the middle of the kitchen. He played his favorite Elvis Crespo song once, grabbed me and we started salsa dancing right in the middle of the living room. He has such a passion for living and loving his life that I admire. He always takes time to enjoy the moment and always tells me "Just cruise baby, just cruise." One of our friends was gonna DJ at a club in Seattle Thanksgiving weekend and he asked me if I wanted to go out. When we got to the club you can bet it wasn't long before I was out of the dance floor, I love to dance and Jaime was right there with me the whole time. I love that he loves to dance and he's never shy about dancing with me even if we are the only two people out there. Also, Kevin Ke came out to visit us!

December 4th:

For some reason I woke up with a stiff neck on my birthday. It was so bad I was balling all day. I went to the chiropractor and to get a deep tissue massage but nothing worked. I was in so much pain and so frustrated because Jaime had a nice dinner planned and I could barely get out of bed. I was such a train wreck. He told me we didn't have to go out and I told him there's no way I'm going to sit in my bed having a pity party for myself. So I popped a bunch of ibuprofen, threw on a dress, and we headed out to what is now one of my favorite restaurants: Cantinetta. Once again, Jaime outdid himself with choosing a restaurant. It was such a quiet, intimate, and romantic environment with the best home made pasta and our favorite bacon wrapped dates. Somehow during this wonderful night I seemed to forget all about how horrible my morning was and how badly my neck was hurting. I guess love can distract you in ways you would have never guessed. Jaime gave me a bouquet of red roses which is bizarre because traditional red roses are my absolute favorite and I swear I had NEVER told him this. He also wrote me the most beautiful card which I will always keep and treasure.

Butternut Squash soup

Bday Part II: Saltys

The birthday celebrating didn't end with that one night. He told me he wanted to take me to Salty's for brunch with is another personal favorite of mine (Sorry I'm/we are so obsessed with food). We had this big plan that we were gonna eat a light dinner the night before so we would be super hungry and be able to go for like 8 courses. The waiter laughed at us because we had to tap out after about two plates, ha. Funny enough he and I shared the same birthday, December 4th! After brunch we walked out to the deck and a very kind lady took some photos for us. We were then escorted to take pictures with Santa and now have our first holiday card in the books! I'm pretty sure there was only one thing I told Santa I wanted for Xmas that year.

Carter:

If there was any hesitation I had in getting closer to Jaime...he definitely had something else working in his favor...one word...Carter. This is his godson and nephew. He is beyond precious and is one of the happiest little guys around. I hope he continues to makes others smile as much as he does now when he's older. Luckily he lives in the town home next door and I get to sneak over all the time and play with him.

Holiday Parties:

My work holiday party and our NW crossfit holiday party fell on the same night. I was really nervous to bring Jaime to meet all of my co-workers because I knew I was going to be interrogated. I started working at Harborview on the Burn ICU/Pediatric Trauma Unit as a wee little nursing assistant over 5 years ago. The staff has mentored and supported me before, during, and after nursing school from a nursing assistant, to nurse tech, and now one of their own as a Registered Nurse. It's like I work with about 50 different mums and dads, it's honestly the best. I showed up with Jaime and I guess I was pretty nervous because I said "This is my friend Jaime" or "This is Jaime." I guess I was too shy to say "This is my boyfriend Jaime." It's ok though because my co-workers called BS on the whole friend thing anyway and at work the next week they teased me and said "Hey Adrianna how is your friennnddd" and "he doesn't look like just a friend." I didn't seem to have much of a rebuttle. Now they all laugh and a few have told me that they knew I was going to marry him when they saw us together. After my work party we rushed home to changed for the NW Holiday Party. Jaime had just cut almost 8 inches of hair off that day which would clearly be a big deal when we showed up. Some people weren't convinced it was actually him. This was the first time we were going to show up to an event and people would see that we were together. When we showed up it was pretty hilarious to see people's reaction to his hair. He got comments like "Wow Jaime you look so dapper," "You look like you're getting married," "I didn't even recognize you," "Wow man she cleaned you up" and then of course a few people were devastated that his lovely black locks were gone. Every time people asked what made him decide to cut his hair he would just look at me and smile...I could do was laugh.

Best photobomb of the year

Christmas with the family:

It was so special to be able to be able to spend Christmas with Jaime. He had been coming to church with me every week. The Sunday before Xmas we went to my home ward again on Mercer Island where he heard me sing for the first time with Izzy. I'll never forget him telling me "One of my favorite parts about going to church with you is that I get to hear you sing, you have the most beautiful voice." For Christmas Eve we spent some time at my Dads. According to our usual tradition we stay up and open a few presents at midnight. Today however, we made it a bit early so we could make it to mass with Jaime's family. It was so special to have Jaime at home with the people I love and care about most (we miss you Connor). He fits in so perfectly and everyone thanked him for being so loving and supportive towards me. My family admitted that they had never seen me so happy nor had they heard me laugh so much. Family knows best. We rushed to Shoreline to make it to Mass with his parents and it was so nice to celebrate with them at church as well. This was my first time ever at mass. After, we went home to Jaime's house and opened presents. His family was so loving and gave me the most beautiful blanket I still cuddle with every night, a beautiful scarf, and a gift card. Saul and Jan got me a beautiful black sweater. There was such an outpouring of love from Jaime's family I always felt when I was there. On Christmas day we went to my mom's house and got to skype with our missionary Connor. That was the first time that he met Jaime. My mom made crepes and we enjoyed some games followed by watched a movie. Overall our first Christmas together was beautiful.

Brunch at Lil John's

Holiday dinner with the family at Cantinetta

The Christmas Nativity at the Bellevue Stake Center

A Christmas story with Jaime and Izzy

Beautiful Xmas surprise, Jaime picked it out because I talked about how I love number 8 because of the infinity, which is exactly what it symbolizes

New Years:

For New Years Saul and Jan invited us to go with them to the club and Amy had invited us to dinner and a show with her family. I was so ecstatic that Jaime was going to meet my best friend (since 4th grade!!!), her family at the Triple Door downtown for dinner and to hear LeRoy Bell. I was also excited that Jaime would meet the infamous Bob Gottlieb, who is basically another Dad, since Amy and I have been attached at the hip for over 15 years. Bob was always honest about his personal opinion about my boyfriends and whether or not he liked them....so far I haven't heard any complaint. The same goes for Amy who has always had my back and gone to war for me when she thinks I am being mistreated. That's what a best friend is for. I was so excited for Jaime to see LeRoy Bell because I have seen his shows more times that I can count, all with Amy's family. Of course, we showed up and Jaime's like "Yeah I know him I used to personal train him." Everywhere we go he knows somebody. Anyway, ate delicious food, danced, and had a good time. Then we rushed off to meet Saul and Jan at the club where we danced and celebrated ringing in a New Year. This New Year's kiss was definitely the most memorable. I was so in love and new I would never be dating again.

Friends:

One thing I have always respected and appreciated about Jaime is that he knows how busy my life is yet how important my friends are. He always encourages me to hangout with my girlfriends and maintain my relationships. He reassures me that he never wants me to feel like the time we spend is distancing me from other important people in my life. He always makes an effort keep his schedule open when I tell him that Amy or Kevin are coming in town. He has always told me "If they're important to you they are important to me." Whether it's grabbing Thai Tom with Amy and Quinn or hanging out with Kevin at the club or ZBB this summer, Jaime is there. When it comes to playing soccer or finding time for a Din Thai Fung double date with Ruby and Jason, he's there. If I tell him I want to host a BBQ at the house with some of my soccer teammates he asks me what he can do to help. When my friends are having rough days or getting in fights with their boyfriends, he drives to pick them up and invited them to stay at our place (no names shall be released). He cooks us dinner or breakfast and reassures my friends that they can stay as long as they need. His hospitality and compassion for others is so humbling and everyone of my friends can see what I married him.

Dinners at work & packing my lunches:

I will admit there are times when I'm at work and tell Jaime that I'm still hungry and ask if he will bring me something else to eat....just so I can see him. Sometimes 14 hours away from him at a time is the death of me. He will often bring me my favorite chicken sandwhich from Buckley's or treat me and my co-workers to Lil Woody's... which basically makes our shift. Jaime admitted that there's a great chance that he will faint at the sight of blood or something gorey and when he brings me food he waits outside my unit. He said he's pretty sure he's gonna end up on the floor if he walks through and sees anything too intense. I always tease him that he would make an unforgettable first impression with my co-workers if that was the case. We are working on improving this trait. I appreciate that he's always so supportive of my career. He packs my lunches and makes me breakfast to make sure I can get an extra hour of sleep. He keeps the house clean so I don't wake up and start cleaning as opposed to relaxing on the couch. He always asks me what errands he can run for me so I can come straight home and go to bed after night shift. Most importantly, he always tucks me in and wakes me up with a hug and a kiss. There's nothing more I could ask for.

Home renovations:

The more time I started to spend at Jaime and the more I realized we were gonna be sticking around each other for a while, I started to help him with some home renovations. He was always so open to my ideas...of course I had plenty. I love that he's such a handy man and know how to do everything. He is very precise and particular about his craftmanship. I'll admit I always wanted a man that knew how to do this stuff. We re-arranged the living room, got new carpet, re-tiled the upstairs bathroom, replaced the sink, painted, re-organized our closet and many other projects are still in process. We have worked really hard on the house and really do love our home, It's our safe zone and nothing feels better than being on the couch looking around at all our hard work. Jaime told me the place has never looked better. His Dad joked when he came over that he could tell a woman moved in and her feminine touch has helped make the place feel more like home. Everyone who comes over knows how OCD I am about everything being clean and that's the way it will always be! Luckily Jaime is on the same page about that one with me!

Tulip Festival:

In April we were able to get together with Mom and Dallas and make it to the Tulip festival in Bellingham. It was my first time...I have wanted to go for years to see the beautiful colors and have never had time. It was SO windy and cold but of course we still insisted on taking all of these pictures. I also insisted on wearing my hat.

Richmond Beach Park:

After a long stretch of work Jaime told me he was taking me to a surprise place. I told him I just wanted to be outside and enjoy the sun. We went to this amazing park with a beautiful view of the water, a playground, and a nice grassy area. Jaime wanted to take me down to the water but the bridge that allowed up to cross over the train tracks was under renovation and fenced off...so what did we do? Hopped the fence and ran across the half built bridge. I felt like a dare devil at first and then got a little nervous as we were running across the long bridge. When we go to the other side and walked along the Shoreline it was so beautiful. There was a train going by and it totally reminded me of my childhood where we lived next to the train tracks in Marysville and would walk down the street to watch it go by. Dad would let us put quarters on the tracks and we would try and find them flattened out after.

Forever young
Swings are my absolute favorite, it almost feels like you're flying

Weekend Brunch at Brasstracks:

Good food and smiles, enough said. There was even a live DJ doing hip hop spins.

Seahawks Superbowl:

The Seahawks made it to the superbowl again! This time however the result was devasting with an epic comeback and then interception at the last second that was supposed to be a TD for the win. I got 4 hours of holiday time from work from 7-11 by surprise and was able to stay with our friends to watch the game. Check out all the good food! We were stuffed.

Sunday walks:

Our favorite day of the week is Sunday. We get to wake up and go to church together and remind ourselves how blessed we are to have found each other, to have the gospel in our lives and to be reminded of our goals for the future. Then we usually make lunch, take a nap, go on a walk and just spend time with our family. It's such a peaceful day where we are able to set aside all errands, shopping and to do lists so we can live in the moment and appreciate life. When I was little my family used to go on Sunday walk and this is a tradition I want to carry on in my family. This Sunday we walked around SLU. Of course I fell asleep on the grass and Jaime snapped this artsy (first) picture.

Jaime's competition:

I was so excited to see Jaime compete at the Chaos in the Capitol compeition. Pound for pound he and Duy were the smallest team and still managed to place top ten. I was so proud of Jaime and Duy! The bottom right picture is Duy's classic face when anybody else take's off their shirt. The bottom left is Jaime's hands after all the muscle ups...thanks for taking one for the team babe...I loved watching you. I felt like such a lazy bum watching all these people workout, I had to go out on a run myself and found a beautiful route down by the marina.

Skydiving:

Skydiving has been on my bucket list for as long as I can remember. I went bungee jumping in Whistler in 8th grade off a bridge over a river and that was definitely an adrenaline pumper. I remember feeling like I was going to be submerged into the water. Also the guys counted me down from 10 and by 6 I just fell forward...I knew I would back out by 1. A bunch of my co-workers decided to go out to Kapowsin Skydive with one of our co-workers Jenny Clayton. At first when I told Jaime about skydiving, he was apprehensive and said "I still have a lot I want to do before I die." I told him to nut up and that I already bought out sessions. We drove out there and he didn't say much but before he told me he loved me and made an instagram post to let everyone else know too in case he was about to die. His face in the bottom picture probably reflects what he's thinking: "This girl is making my life chaos." We got a few instruction from the crew and set off on the plane. The view was amazing. We went tandem and when we reached the right elevation we literally were thrown out of the plane. The first few second hit you and your stomach just drops. After reaching terminal velocity the rest is beautiful and you are basically flying (but really just falling super fast). Jenny my co-worker wanted to jump with me and we got to hold hands. This was such an amazing experience. After Jaime was like "I think I need a new sport." I knew he would love it and reminded him "I'm always right."

Other memories:

Apparently Jaime has been blind all his life and now he has glasses. Thanks for managing not to kill me all those time you were driving late at night!