Although I feel a little sheepish saying it, we met online. It started with an innocent question from LaNova, “Hey, is that Lake Nicaragua in your picture?” Startled that anyone would recognize such an obscure land feature, I responded to her. Unfortunately, within a very short period of time, we discovered that we were diametrically opposed to one another—LaNova is a die-hard Jazz fan, and I’m a Laker’s fan. That difference almost spelled disaster for the relationship until another online site matched us up. Despite our athletic differences, we chose to reconsider the possibility that we might have other things in common.
What followed was the most uniquely awkward dating habits—
I flew to Salt Lake for a business meeting. I decided to meet LaNova in person. The next month, she flew to Los Angeles. And, so this went on, back and forth, for the duration of our relationship.
Our relationship had its ups and downs, everything from breaking up after she got back from South Africa, to a semi-serious proposal in the parking lot of LAX.
In the end, I proposed on Valentine’s Day weekend…and she said ‘yes’. I met her parents via Skype (who were serving their mission in South Africa, at the time). I met her family in a rather boisterous gathering at her sister Ann’s house. And, I met the balance of the family in New Mexico after a pole vault meet.
Nearly a year later, we are ready to get married. 9 June 2011…1 July 2011. (Again, for the record, if I had my way, we would have been married before Halloween, and half-way to Kenya, by now.)
