The best thing ever happened to me a little over a year ago.

I met my soulmate, my other half, my best friend, my everything…

I often think about how my life completely turned around upon moving to Colorado last year. Like when I look back I just sit there in awe, probably with my jaw dropped and my eyes all in deep thought…But I’m serious life is a crazy thing and takes you to places where you have never thought you would be or expected it any time soon…

I’m talking about love here…

I moved to Denver, Colorado on December 20th, 2014. I was graduating with my nursing degree on December 17th, went to my pinning ceremony, spent a day with my family who came up to see me before my move, and skipped my graduation. The following day I packed up my little apartment, had a little moment of “Wow, this is really happening”… said goodbyes to some of my friends and the next day supposedly early in the morning was leaving my life in TN behind.. only there was a problem… I couldn’t sleep… it was one of those nights, where every minute seemed 2o hours… it’s the same time movement as when you are a toddler and a second seems like an eternity… I’m not sure if  I even have any memories of being a toddler and what my thoughts were, but I imagine this is how it feels.

After long hour of trying to get some rest, I gave up… I put Murchik (my rebellious cat) into his tiny… way oversized traveling kennel thingy, two suitcases, blanket, and a box of books into my little egg (my car) and looked over my apartment once more… made sure the lights were off, heat was off, and off I was to my voyage- my travels to Denver, CO…at 10 pm.

I am not going to go into detail about the non-stop  22 hour trip (maybe some other time)… but was it the longest trip of my life by myself! WITH MY CAT SERENADING ME THE WHOLE WAY!! It was his first long trip too… such a trooper.. my little travel companion. Ahh and another little rant of mine… 500 miles through Kansas… you got to be kidding me… the most boring drive ever.. not to mention, I was trying to kick off sleep that I was lacking for the past couple of days.

I’m in Denver…I had probably the biggest smile on my face… not sure if it was because I was finally here or because I knew that in about 20 minutes I would be lying down (no, no..not in bed..on the floor) and SLEEPING.

Fast forward a few days… WAIT!! I failed to mention I was coming to Colorado to study interior design at RMCAD. Ok now let me continue… fast forward a few days- I went to check out the campus and later went on my first adventure to Downtown Denver. First impressions- freezing, pretty tall buildings, cool German Christmas market, yummy pastry, and some really really expensive parking.. $15 for a few hours… but it was all worth it.

Ok, I really should make a whole another blog post about my first few weeks in Denver and my findings… but right now I want to get to the part where I met my LOVE!

If you know me really good… I’m the most curious person in the world… telling you in another life I’m probably the most fluffiest and most curious cat there has ever been!!

I was so eager to meet people… make friends… yes, school has started but being not freshly out of high school, I found most students to be out of my age range…

I signed up for Match.com. Not exactly the place to meet friends, but hey I was curious what Colorado had to offer… not like I was going to pay for the subscription… and start something…

A week later I got so many emails… but guess what.. you cannot even see who writes you unless you pay and then you can do whatever you want… wink and sends sparks… or whatever it is you do on there. If you choose to do it… be aware.. so many creeps…

Saturday night (February 1, 2014) I was sitting on the floor (I yet had to buy furniture) with a few acquaintances and watching some movie… I got a notification from Match.com saying that I got an email… and a few photo likes… I clicked on it and saw the most handsome boy ever. Tall, blue eyes, blonde, glasses, artsy looking… I got these little butterflies in my stomach… if I was standing I would probably drop to the floor..but remember I was already sitting on the floor… haha anyways the email was from him…asking about Guatemala.. (my recent mission trip destination) and how he went there too… and then a few questions about art and music maybe? I don’t even remember… but definitely caught my attention…

I read through his profile story and his likes and etc… I like this boy… I like him a lot…

He gave me his phone number that night. We texted a little about artists we like… why both of us for some odd reason are on Match.com? And then he asks- hey would you like to meet up sometime? My heart… my little heart flew down to my toes and I did this thing where I don’t think about it too much- I type a text saying- Yes, I would love to… and close my eyes and press send. Whew… nerves are sky rocketing everywhere.. those few minutes of waiting on his reply felt like an eternity… I try to pay attention to the movie playing on TV… some guy just got killed… shooting… then the phone buzzes..

The text says-“Great, what about tomorrow night? I’m going skiing during the day.” I answer- “That works perfectly, where would you like to meet?” He says-“Wherever you choose.” I say-“Bardo Coffee House on S Broadway in Denver?” He says- “OK…I will text once I’m back from skiing to set the time” I say- “Awesome”….

I don’t remember much what we texted afterwards… but my mind was already thinking of what to wear, what to do with my hair, the monkeys were definitely jumping around inside my head…

Sunday night (February 2, 2014). Freezing… as always, I wear the most weather incompatible clothes. At least, I have a jacket on… I’m running late… parallel parking on the street in Denver sucks.. it’s not easy… especially for me…I’m a parking illiterate. I finally find a parking spot. I walk (oh wow.. even a year later.. I can still feel the butterflies building up in my stomach as I think of this moment) towards the coffee shop and I see him… So tall, green jacket, hands in pockets… poor guy… cold! In my mind I’m thinking what to say… does he see me yet? Oh, I hope he likes me… I have a  big bag on my shoulder.. with pencils, sketchbook, basically school stuff…just in case it doesn’t go well I can do some homework or something…

“Hi”, I say while trying to shake his hand… We go inside the coffee shop and I just get so nervous… I don’t know what to say… we go up to the counter to order coffee… He orders Americano with room for creamer, I order a hazelnut latte. .. We sit down at this tiny table, the only table available. I blurp something like-“Nice to meet you” and “I can’t believe I’m here”… and inside my mind I’m like-“Really, did I just say that- ‘I can’t believe I’m here'” Well yeah, Olesja you are here… imagine that… haha. I sip on my coffee as we talk about Guatemala…art… things we basically texted to each other the night before… Then a brilliant idea ding ding dings in my mind…MY SKETCHBOOK! I take my sketchbook out and ask him if he wants to look through it with me… So for the next hour I talk and talk and talk about this drawing, that drawing… the polaroid pictures from the Guatemala trip… this song lyric… that sketch… yeah I thought his ears are falling off by the end of my blapping.. I was just so nervous.. ahhh

Then after a little while we decided to walk a little and we walked all the way to downtown and looked at some sculptures, talking.. and then walked back…  It was already 11pm. Time flies… I did not want this moment to end…

He walked to my car… Hugged me. “He smells nice”, I think to myself. He says that he had a wonderful time and that he hopes that I get back home safely, says goodbye..

That night before I went to bed, he texted me. “It was great to meet you, you seem such a beautiful person, goodnight”.  I really really like how he put it together… such a beautiful person. Not sexy.. not hot.. this felt genuinely sweet… He is such a beautiful person too, I thought… I felt lucky.

Little did I know that 10 months later this boy is going to be on his knee in the snow and our little puppy by the side asking me to spend the rest of our days together.

Today, I look back at that first day we met… the feeling that comes is so overwhelming.. this wonderful man that I was so nervous to meet is going to be my husband, the father of my kids, my life companion… We are going to get wrinkles together, wear funky clothes together, laugh together…

Yes, I believe that God threw a bucket of blessings at me last year. I feel like the most luckiest person in the world.

God writes the most beautiful love stories there are.

I love you, Frederick! <3

-O