San Diego Engagement Session: Marc + Kalyn

I have to be honest, there are just too many good things to say about Kalyn and Marc that I can't possibly write it all in one post.  So instead of me saying a bunch of nice stuff, I thought I would give you a little glimpse into their relationship.  I sent them each a short questionnaire about their relationship.  Enjoy!

What is the first thing you noticed about Kalyn?
Her captivating eye's, Her Infectious smile and her Laugh that is "One of a Kind" that warms your Heart to hear her giggle!

What is your favorite memory of Kalyn?
Aside from our first date playing miniature golf, it was years later when we reconnected and planned to meet up she parked across the street as I walked out my front porch and she got all of the car and I instantly knew I wanted to marry her one day!

Marc, what where you thinking right before you popped the question? 
How I have waited my whole life to marry the women of my dreams & now that I had found her, I didn't know if I could get the words out without crying! And, since we were in a Hot air Balloon over Del Mar that "The Ring" wouldn't fall out of the basket when I went to put on her finger :)

In one sentence tell me why you love Kalyn?
She is the most compassionate, loving, caring and supportive woman that I could ever ask for or dream of!

What is the first thing you noticed about Marc?

It all began in 2004 when I was working at Stater Bros. bailing cardboard boxes. I was 19 at the time and had my share of guy problems... When talking one day about how stupid and lame guys are... the receiver (Anthony Del Bono) said "You should meet my cousin, he's a firefighter/paramedic." So of course I said "Hook us up"! lol So, Anthony gave his cousin Marc my phone number. After a few weeks went by I finally got a phone call from Marc. We talked on the phone for a couple hours, just laughing and talking. We then set up a date to meet in person. Marc was 29 at the time so of course I had to tell a little white lie to my Mom (Sorry Mom) that he was only 25. I remember the day he picked me up at my house. He drove a Chevrolet Silverado (Man's Truck) haha and was very handsome and charming. He was definately the best blind date I have ever been on. For starters we went miniture golfing at Muligan's Family Fun Center in Murrieta. I remember I was wearing a cute sun dress and platform flip flops that were the style back then. I'm pretty sure I beat him at golf, with my 1 or 2 hole in ones. We then went to eat dinner at my favorite Italian restraunt at the time, Johnny Corino's. Marc and I dated on and off for a year or so, never too seriously because we were both scared of getting our hearts broken. He knew I needed to grow up a little and enjoy my early 20's and "sew my oats" sort of speak. Then there was a 5 year gap in time that we hadn't spoken or seen each other. I was still in contact with Anthony though once in awhile...so I would always ask about Marc and how he was doing.

Meanwhile July of 2010 Marc was at his close friend Tim's house with Anthony. Anthony had told Marc that he had recently seen me and Marc immediately asked for my phone number.

I remember that day when I received Marc's call. It started off like I had no idea who was calling me, but I knew exactly who it was and I couldn't be more excited! At this time I was living at home again in Temecula and he was still living in Oceanside. We talked on the phone for awhile. He told me about his beautiful children who were three years old at the time and we talked about what the last 5 years of our lives were like. We met up one evening at his house to go to dinner. He looked the same as the last time I saw him and remembered him, still handsome as ever! I had planned to just stay friends with Marc, being I was 25 and he was 35 with 2 children. This wasn't really part of the life I imagined, but once I saw him again, and met his amazing and beautiful and loving children, it was all over... I knew he was the man I wanted to marry some day.

What is your favorite Marc memory?

I have so many favorite memories it is difficult to pick just one. I would have to say my newest favorite memory was finally getting our engagement pictures done. We had the funnest time! It couldn't have been a more perfect day. The kids were being taken care of by their Nanna (Marc's Mom) so we didn't have a worry in the world. It was a total stress free experiance and we finally have more than just a few pictures of us to enjoy. Most of our whole photo library was of the kids before.

Kalyn, what where you thinking right after Marc popped the question?

I was hoping he was going to pop the question that day. I wasn't positive it was going to happen and after he faked me out with the jewelry set at the beginning of our excursion I was totally surprised. When he asked one of the passengers on the hot air ballon to take his phone and video for him I knew this was going to be the moment I had been waiting for. I actually laughed because I was so excited and nervous (for him) at the same time. I couldn't wait for him to be done asking so I could say "YES"!! After I was so excited! I was thinking how I wanted to marry him now! I didn't want to have to wait any second longer! But I'm glad now that we have taken our time to plan our wedding day. January is going to be here before we know it!

In one sentence tell me why you love Marc?

I love the way he loves me and how he makes me laugh <3

And I will leave you with this, a short blog post about marriage that is beautifully written and from the heart.  It reminds me a little of these two… heartfelt and honest.

Link to the original post by Matt Walsh

She’s not the same as she was when I married her, but that’s OK because I didn’t marry “the person she was.” I married her — Alissa, the woman, the being, the body and soul. I married the totality of her, which means I married her changes, not just that one, single, momentary version of her that walked down the aisle in that church in Ocean City three years ago.

Do I have a romantic idea of marriage? Sure, but marriage is a romantic idea, isn’t it? It’s not a fairy tale, but it is something supernatural and exciting. Talk to the people who’ve been in it for a long time — 30, 40, 50 years with one person — and they’ll say everything I’m saying, only with much more authority and even deeper conviction.

Life is change. People are change. I’m seeing this play out all around me. As I get older I drift further apart from some of the people I used to consider my closest confidants. But I let myself drift, and so do they, because circumstances also change, and what I’m realizing is that so many of my relationships were only ever circumstantial.

My relationship with my wife, however, transcends the circumstance. If we feel ourselves drift, we reach out our hands and grasp tightly, because I choose to remain at her side, and she at mine. And if I ever look over to find that we’ve somehow lost sight of each other — both now walking alone and lost in that cold night — I will grab a torch and search for her until I find her again. She is my mission, my life’s work, and I’d sooner give up my life than give up on her.

This is all easy to write and easy to say, but, I realize, harder to do. That’s why those of us out here in the thick of it could always use guidance and inspiration, not defeatism and wimpy cynicism. For my part, I will ignore the people like the guy at the grocery store and the ingrates who throw divorce parties, and instead focus on my parents, who’ve been married through thirty years, six kids, and eleven grandchildren. And Alissa’s grandfather, who very recently lost his wife after over 60 years of marriage.

He can’t speak hardly at all these days — mostly the result of multiple strokes — but I was there in his living room when he turned to the person next to him and tearfully said, “partner.”

“She was my partner.”

And she was. A great partner, from everything I’ve heard. Feisty and tough, loyal and loving.

That’s what I want.

One day, hopefully when we’re very old, one of us will die first — the smart money is on me (family history combined with my unhealthy affinity for bacon and red meat). Whoever is living, while stricken with grief and sadness, will be able to look back on a life of sacrifice, and compromise, and joy, and worry, and happiness, and tears, and passion, and love, and simply say, “partner.”

“We were partners.”

I choose that end.

I don’t know when it will happen, or what awaits us in the meantime, but that will be our ending.

I choose it over looking back five years from now and saying, “she was my partner — but then she changed, so never mind.”

So we wake up every morning, sort of the same, but sort of new. We look at each other, we introduce ourselves again, and we choose to love who we see. We choose to love. And that’s the only thing that will never change.