When I returned from my trip, I was exhausted. I had been out with friends the night before, and hadn't gotten any sleep. When I stumbled into my apartment, I was surprised by a collection of photos hanging from the ceiling. They began by the door and progressed through our year of dating, and under each picture was a reason why Santi loved me. At that point I was very suspicious, and my stomach was in knots. The pictures led back to my bedroom, and Santi popped out of my bathroom and got down on one knee. I don't remember anything he said because I was too shocked, but I said yes!!!
After becoming engaged, we planned our wedding day for June 9, 2007. Because Santi was not a U.S. citizen at the time, we decided to speed up the process by getting legally married at the courthouse before our actual wedding. We were legally married on September 25, 2006....and we attempted to keep it a secret, until we discovered that marriages are posted in the local paper! Oops. Eight months later we said our official "I dos" in front of our family and friends. It was one of the best days of my life. We had such an incredible time, and everything was absolutely perfect.
Two days after the wedding we headed off for our Hawaiian honeymoon. We had an incredible time, and I remind Santi on a regular basis that he promised me another trip to Hawaii for our ten year anniversary.
Two days after the wedding we headed off for our Hawaiian honeymoon. We had an incredible time, and I remind Santi on a regular basis that he promised me another trip to Hawaii for our ten year anniversary.
Upon returning from our honeymoon (reluctantly), we were living with Santi's mom and dad in Bloomington. I didn't yet have a teaching job, and Santi was still working at the YMCA. I was offered a teaching position in Phoenix, Arizona after over a year of searching for a job in the midwest. Because I was so ready to begin my teaching career and not finding any opportunities in Indiana, we made the decision to leave behind our friends and family in and move across the country to Arizona, even though we had never been there before. It was quite the adventure, and an exciting start to our new life together! We made the 28 hour journey to our new little apartment in Avondale, Arizona and settled into our first place together. I began teaching, and Santi began working for Verizon Wireless and also decided to finish his Bachelor's degree. We also brought home our first baby, a golden retriever puppy we named Tevez.
We spent the next four years enjoying life as newlyweds, accomplishing our goals, and following our dreams. We traveled all around our new home in the southwest...Los Angeles, Las Vegas, New Mexico, Sedona, the Grand Canyon. It was so fun and exciting to explore our new surroundings. We also made our big trip to Ecuador. It was the first time Santi had been since he left at the age of 15. It was an incredible, long-awaited trip. Along with traveling, we built our first home in Goodyear, Arizona, Santi finished his degree in Global Business Management, I completed my Master's in Teaching English as a Second Language, and Santi became a U.S. citizen.
We spent the next four years enjoying life as newlyweds, accomplishing our goals, and following our dreams. We traveled all around our new home in the southwest...Los Angeles, Las Vegas, New Mexico, Sedona, the Grand Canyon. It was so fun and exciting to explore our new surroundings. We also made our big trip to Ecuador. It was the first time Santi had been since he left at the age of 15. It was an incredible, long-awaited trip. Along with traveling, we built our first home in Goodyear, Arizona, Santi finished his degree in Global Business Management, I completed my Master's in Teaching English as a Second Language, and Santi became a U.S. citizen.
