Shani

It all began in 2005 when a fabulous young woman from the Boogie-down Bronx and a young man from Indiana who cruised country roads and worked on motorcycles, decided to pick up and leave their friends and family of their hometowns and move west to San Diego, California for some adventure and sunshine. With nothing but high hopes and street smarts, they each ventured to this new world without even a place to live. Luckily, Shani found a non-stalker type roommate on Craigslist and Derek, who was not so lucky, slept in a tent for two weeks with his sister before they finally upgraded to a place with four walls and electricity. Fate landed them with jobs at the same company in Carlsbad where the two first crossed paths. At first no major sparks, only small talk in the designated smoking areas and during the company softball games. But quickly the attraction grew, she was drawn to his intellectual mind, wit, and use of the phrase "I dig it" and he to her exotic beauty but more specifically he like the way her butt looked when she wore those plaid pants! They had their first date at the Turf Club; a small moody eatery packed with locals and from there blossomed a beautiful relationship. Like Yin and Yang, they had the perfect balance, he a quiet observer, and she a sassy chatter box but both with a passion for travel, politics, cuisine, and music. So when asked about the moment they knew each other was ‘the one’, they both had the same answer, “Talking about the future came so easy…having kids and how to raise them…all the plans we had always included each other in it”. Awwww - So sweet! As goes the tale of the unlikely couple that was not so unlikely after all. And as the two face this new adventure they will embark hand in hand as husband and wife, as a team along with their dog Carmelo of course, we wish them lots of love, happiness, and a bright future that hopefully does not involve sleeping in a tent unless it’s for a camping trip! Ronaliza H. Balancio Matron of Honor