-We met in November. I had just gotten here from a cross-country trip after a 2 week vaction in New Jersey. Even before i had arrived I had heard so much about Tijuana that I wanted to go and party. So the very first weekend I got here I went to Revolution St. Its in downtown Tijuana; the center of all partying activity. And seeing that almost all my friends are under the age of 21 it was a great spot to let loose. And I had so much fun I decided to go again the next week.
-Me and my friends planned from the start to go to our favorite spot...Iguannas and then to go check out Club "A". So when we got to Igunannas my friends and I do what we always do and just walk around aimlessly checking girls out. And the very first person to catch my eye was Alma. But being as shy as I am I didn't approach her.
As the night went on I started to get bored and asked one of my friends to dare me to dance with any girl. I figured that peer pressure would overcome my shyness...and it did. My friend Joe pointed at Alma and I proceeded to dance with her.
I think me and her experienced that hesitation that comes when you first meet a stranger. But we danced the whole time at Iguannas. And we danced good together. But at some point she said that her and her friend (Olivia) were leaving for Club "A" which was another club located down the street. I took this as a hint that she didn't like me but she assured me that she enjoyed my company and said she'd meet me there. I told her that oddly enough me and my friends had originally planned to go there and I said I'd meet her there.
So i gathered all my friends and we all agreed to go later on. So after an hour or so we arrived at Club "A." However one of my friends got "sick" and two of my friends had to take him back. So me and my friend Scott went up to the club. I searched forever for Alma but eventually she was the one that found me. So we continued where we left off and danced the night away. Before she left she gave me her cellphone number, house number, work number, and not to mention her e-mail address. When she left the club going down the stairs she turned around and and saw me looking at her. She smiled and I think that since that moment we knew that we would end up being in the middle of something special.
-So we kept in contact and i'd call her everyday at lunch and after work. We began like every couple begins but different in that we were always who we were. Our first real date was a simple dinner and a movie. We walked along "La Plaza"
holding hands and just talking.
-On November 23, 2000 Alma and I spent Thanksgiving dinner together. We shared together the blessing of each other. We found comfort in each other evn though we were both away from our families....this of course gave us yet another momemt to remember. Only one of many memories that I have of her.
That same night after leaving the restaurant while I was driving she asked me to be her boyfriend. And like the typical man, I'll admit that I was a little hesitant but I agreed. So then started our journey. From time to time I'd surprise her with the occasional flower. Romancing and chasing after her like every man does to those they like. I always tried to be a romantic and even when I fell short she would always show me her gratitude.
-In Febuary 2001 we entered our empty house. No heat, no furniture at all, not even hot water to take a warm shower. I guess we so desperately wanted a place to call home. But just as long as it meant we were together we were happy. I remember the first night: a bunch of blankets as a mattress and nothing but each other to keep warm. But little by little our little cave of a home became a sanctuary from our hectic lives. At the end of every weekend I had to pack my things to return to the base only to begin a new work week the next day.However, I would always reassure her that I'd be back next weekend. This was always an adjustment we had to make because, well, that's the way a naval life is. The funny thing about the house is that even in the beginning, in all its emptinress, we filled it with what we had most-LOVE.
-So on we went with our relationship. The happiest we have both experienced. Since the beginning we've been the best of friends. It has all the good of a friendship as well as that of a relationship. And as her best friend she knows she can always lean on me whether in happiness or in sorrow. She can depend on me for anything. From the smallest thing like fixing her car to being there when she needs someone to talk to. Every day, month and season passed only for us to await what surprise the next one would bring.
-Like every serious couple we too talk about having kids. We share with each other what we think our child would look like by swapping body parts. We always take the parts that we apreciate and put them on "our" child. Even though we're not ready right now its always nice to dream with the one you love. And when that day comes we can only imagine who god will send to be our child.
And like every couple we have our ups and downs. Sometime in September I received orders to leave to Japan by November. This was a difficult time for us to say the least. Our future together was unsure. But we stayed steadfast in our beliefs and decided to celebrate the time we had left by going to Guadalahara, El Gruyo, and Puerta Vallarta, Mexico. But in the middle of the vacation I went to go see a doctor and wala!!! I was found to have gallstones. That caused my orders to be cancelled. This is the prime example of bad news being a good thing. So in San Diego I stayed and eventually got operated on. Alma was there to take good care of me every day. Changing my bandages, helping me up, checking up on me every so often and even cooking within my diet. For me it was the biggest single moment in which I knew how much she really loved me. And my heart just loved her that much more. It got even more exciting when I found out that I would be spending holidays with her. We spent those hectic shopping days together buying gifts for everyone. Spending
Christmas Day with her was a blessing that we both knew we were lucky to have and so was New Year's.
I'd have to admit that leaving to Japan was an event in our relationship that was met with fear from the both of us. But in our most somber hour we worked things out. And for the first time ever we not only proved to ourselves, but to others as well, that "enough is enough" will never happen to us. What Alma and I are about to embark on is going to test us for months and months to come. But with every challenge never will we part. Even in lonliness never are we alone. Looking out onto the seas far away from her, with the sun setting in an old day, I'll always have the thought that this day passed, whether short or long, is one day less till my return.
-This site is dedicated to my the Love of my life-my honey, my sun, my queen and my "encimosa." I hope this is the best Valentine's Day present you've received. May God continue to bless us with each other's presence. May God reinforce our faith in that our meeting was no accident but an act by the MAN himself.
(bear) http://members.designheaven.com/~misspita/christmas2001/backgrounds.html (background\/) http://www.pilgrimchurchredding.org/christmas2002b.htm
