Yes, we have Mark Zuckerberg to thank for becoming "Facebook Friends" and launching our relationship. As I explain it, Joe was a "suggested friend" and I figured, well, he went to Santa Clara and we have mutual friends so why shouldn't we be friends? Little did I know Joe had strict requirements for his FB friends. Apparently I hadn't had a conversation with him in years (perhaps ever) so he accepted my friendship on one condition: I meet him for lunch at his office. I agreed, we made plans (over FB messages of course) and we had a nice lunch at the impressive SF Google Cafe. And so our relationship began... Soon after our lunch, we had coffee dates, happy hours and eventually a date to Dante and Connie's wedding. : ) I started to get to know his family and friends and Joe met mine. First chance I got, I asked my close friend Alison Barr for her opinion of Joe. Her heartfelt words left me with no questions to ask.
It didn’t take long before I had the chance to meet the Cannellas. We all met in San Diego for Matt & Kari’s wedding. Since Joe was in the wedding party, I was flying solo with his family all weekend. Despite obliging Mr. Cannella to drive all around town to find a Walgreens (I forgot my make-up!), we all had a great time while also getting to know each other. Michele, Sue, Aunt Jo, Wanda and Emily played a huge part in making me feel as if I were a part of the family from the first weekend we met.
The big test was when my cousins met Joe. Katie was planning on going to the infamous annual Bad Santa Party. Since Katie and her friend arrived before I had, Joe kindly hosted her and made her feel right at home, even though this was the first time they had met. Molli also met Joe early on. After dinner one evening, Joe came over to my house and met Molli. They shared friendly conversation over a glass of wine, but later that night at the Buckshot was when Molli decided to lay down the law. She pulled Joe to the side and said with the utmost conviction, "If you ever hurt my cousin...."
My surprise 30th birthday party was the nicest thing anyone had ever done for me. Together with Molli, Katie, Lindsey, mom and sis, Joe planned an amazing evening including champagne and oysters, a chicken bus, a Bachata dance lesson, piñata and dancing till dawn in the mission. A special debut of my best friend Lindsey Thor and the handsome Sergio Soria captured much of the attention that evening as they tangoed the night away. Another highlight includes Joe's "hide-out in the car" story. (If you are unfamiliar with it, please ask Joe to share the details next time you see him).
Soon after was Yenvy and Brian’s wedding. The celebration and all that surrounded it was absolutely wonderful. We had a big night out in Monterrey following the wedding so the next morning when Joe asked if I wanted to go for a walk along the beach, I was 100% against it. Basically, it sounded like the exact opposite of what I wanted to do. Once again, Joe had a surprise in mind...We drove home to an exceptionally warm, sunny day in San Francisco. We picked up lunch from our favorite spot in Cole Valley, Say Cheese, and then took it to our rooftop deck for an afternoon lunch. Then came Joe’s proposal...I was beyond surprised and reacted accordingly, but clearly we all know what happened in the end.
A big part of our relationship has been traveling and dreaming of future travels. I lived in Madrid, Spain for a year post college, and have since been eager to see more of the world. Joe has experienced traveling too -- a trip to Europe with friends, Ireland, Italy as a kid to play baseball. Together we visited Spain and Italy and most recently, Chile & Argentina. Spain was a very special experience, especially since this was my first time back since I had lived there and we spent a few days with my best friend Coralie. A destination wedding was clearly in our cards and Mendoza captured it all for us -- wine, mountains, a party till dawn culture and the best steak of your life!