wedding road trip

Beef and Broccoli

I first met Erin and Alex about a month into dating Chris. Erin and I had insta-friend chemistry, which was awesome, considering she’s one of Chris’s favorite people. I imagined that Erin and I would spend endless time together, laughing, dancing, and skipping through the City, matching charm bracelets adorning our golden wrists.

I’ve seen Erin approximately four times over the past two years.

It’s not that I don’t want to see Erin… it’s just that life got in the way. It seemed that she was always busy buying a house, getting engaged, buying a car, starting a new job, acquiring another house, and starting a family. Writing that sentence, I suddenly feel incredibly lazy.

Erin and Alex met through mutual friends. Thanks to San Francisco’s ridiculously unreliable bus system, their first date lasted longer than planned. This is the first time that I’ve heard of someone crediting MUNI for their everlasting love, but it warms my heart to know that something good has come out of our crappy public transit organization.

Seven months after they first started dating, Erin and Alex decided to take their relationship to the next level by buying a home together. Friends were surprised by their decision, worried that Erin and Alex were moving too fast. Ignoring all of the naysayers, they pushed forward, getting engaged within the next year. This fast-track thinking makes Erin and Alex sound like Type A, check-the-box type people, but they are far from structured. Both are incredibly laid back- to the point that I want to bottle of some of their chill and sell it. But given how forward-thinking Erin is, she probably has the business plan drawn up already.

After being engaged for a short while, Erin and Alex decided to tie the knot. The wedding took place in Lake Tahoe last September, and was, according to Chris, “one of the best weddings he’s ever attended.”

Not that I would know. I was off at the USC-Ohio State game with my brothers and my parents, debating whether or not I wanted to continue my relationship with Chris. We were going through a rough patch, so attending a wedding wasn’t exactly my idea of a good time. Throughout the game, I received text messages from Chris, who was completely taken by the whole wedding experience. By the time I got home, he was a changed man, ready for commitment and a future together. So, thanks, Erin and Alex. And thank you, USC Trojans, for kicking the tar out of Ohio State- that made the moment even sweeter.

In listening to Erin and Alex talk about their relationship, I was struck by how little regard they have for the tried and true relationship timeline. They bought a house before they got engaged, yet that didn’t stop their love from progressing naturally. So often people fear that the world will punish them for breaking the status quo. Erin and Alex’s success story begs the question… if you’re not hurting anyone by choosing a different path, what’s wrong with creating your own unique destiny?

P.S. Erin and Alex are currently on the baby train, which means that their calendar actually has a week marked with the word “Sexathon.” When I heard this, I almost spit out my wine. No matter what they’re up to, Erin and Alex are always good times, good times.

P.P.S. Alex told us a very dirty joke about beef and broccoli. Because this is a PG joint, I won’t record it here- but I can be bribed- just email me.

Tags: day 47 san francisco, marriage advice, san francisco wedding road trip