A Love Story

If you’re a regular reader of this blog, you’re undoubtedly familiar with my wonderful handsome husband, Miloš. You’ve seen us take many adventures together, you’ve seen us having silly fun, and you’ve also seen how much we love each other.

But perhaps you don’t know how it all started.

Here’s the short version….

In the summer of 2011, I went on a cruise of the Danube River with my parents and my sister.

You guessed it: Miloš was working on that ship.  

Miloš photobombed the very first pic that I took of the ship when we arrived. He was carrying my luggage and stepped into the frame of the photo.

During that cruise, some of us went out in Vienna to a couple of bars. Miloš and I did a lot of talking and started to get to know each other.  

Near the end of the trip, Miloš invited me to walk around Budapest with him during his three hour afternoon break between shifts. I said yes, and we had a fantastic time. We went out again later that night to some bars in Budapest.  We had so much fun! We really clicked.  

But I was heading back to the States, and, well, he was a Croatian working on a cruise ship in Europe. What were the chances we’d ever see each other again? We nonetheless exchanged info so we could become Facebook friends.

I went home and continued my life. Miloš and I started messaging back and forth on Facebook, but sporadically at first.  While home, I led the normal life of an active single gal on the dating scene. But it was always Miloš’ messages that got me more excited than anything or anyone else.

We messaged more and more frequently. We started finding out that we had more things in common. For starters, we both had a huge love of great classic rock music AND Star Trek: The Next Generation…AND The Lord of the Rings…AND Battlestar Galactica…the list goes on….

By the early fall of 2011, I already knew I was going to be heading to Europe the following February to try my hand at European auditions. I settled on staying in Vienna because I had been there before and had musical contacts in the city and at the opera house.

Once the plans were laid, I asked Miloš if he would like to come visit me while I was there. He totally agreed, and over the next few months of our increasingly regular Facebook chatting, we made our plans and chose our dates.

2012: The Year that Changed Everything!

Fast forward to February 21, 2012.  I was sitting in my apartment in Vienna, waiting for Miloš to call me to tell me he was outside the building so I could buzz him in.

I was chatting with my friend Kristen on gmail chat when there was a knock at the door. I already had my cute dress on, but didn’t even bother putting on my awesome boots, because I figured it was just my landlady at the door again. (It was still a little early, and Miloš hadn’t called yet.) I ran over and opened the door.

There was Miloš!

Damn, we were both really nervous at that moment.  ( 🙂 We still chuckle about it now, actually.)  Even though we had chatted online regularly up, it had been months since we had seen each other in person.

But here’s one of the MANY clues of just how “meant-to-be” this all was: after the first hour or so of initial nerves, we briskly fell into such a feeling of ease and comfort with one another. It was as if I had known this man my whole life – or longer.

During that week-long visit, we walked around Vienna, we visited museums, we went out to bars and clubs, and we even took a little side trip to Salzburg (pics below).

Before Miloš left to go back home, we already were planning my first trip to Croatia and Miloš’ visit to the States later that year, after his cruise season ended.

I went to Croatia just a week and a half later for a short visit before Miloš had to leave for the ship. I also visited him in Switzerland before going back to the USA in April. We also started our plans to spend part of summer vacation together in Croatia that August.

This was all happening in a very short time frame.

Literally, inside of just a few weeks of my life, everything changed. Like, KAPOW! BAM! BOOM! (*cue more explosion noises*)

It was also extremely terrifying! The speed at which I was developing real genuine feelings for Miloš was honestly freaking me out.

But due, in part, to having my wonderful guardian angel (my late Pop-Pop) watching over me and giving me a huge smack-in-the-face sign (and even more signs and help after that), I forged straight forward into the scary unknown, and I’m forever grateful that I did.

When I returned to the USA that April, Miloš and I spent our first long stretch apart – four months. Ugh. It was tough. But we stayed in constant contact and were forming a closer bond despite our physical separation.

Then in August 2012, I went to Croatia and we had an amazing vacation together in Zadar. There’s just something about when the two of us are together – when we’re in each other’s actual physical presence – it’s really powerful, it’s something bigger than ourselves. There’s this amazingly strong energy between us.

We spent the next couple of years building a relationship that was split between intensely awesome times together and painful long stretches apart. Yet, despite the times apart, things just kept getting better and better, and we grew ever stronger as a couple. (Thank God for modern technology!)

Obviously, I eventually realized that I needed to be able to legally stay in Europe. Back then, I was only allowed to stay for three months at a time because of the Visa laws. So that intense desire to stay was the driving force that motivated me into finding out that I could get my Hungarian citizenship via my ancestry. It took a long time, but it was successful! (Halleluja!)

Miloš and I honestly and genuinely love each other more every day. I know it sounds so cliched, but it’s just true. If there is such a thing as soul mates, we are it. His love healed every scar on my previously jaded heart. He saved my life and gave it new meaning. He is my own personal Prince Charming. I feel loved, valued, important, beautiful, and supported. Neither of us is perfect, but we love each other completely anyway – and that in itself is its own kind of perfection.

Sometimes we’re still both in awe that we found each other.

In this big huge world, the chances were 7 billion to one.

Think about that for a second.

7 BILLION people on this planet.

We weren’t neighbors.  We didn’t go to school together.  We didn’t have mutual friends.  We didn’t work together.  Not from the same town.

We were from two different countries on different continents – located across the globe from each other.

It was simply meant to be.

Yes, we’ve been on many wonderful adventures, but the best one of all is this amazing life we’re building together.

Our Timeline

Here’s our crazy timeline – with a few links to some of those trips if you want to relive any more of our awesome experiences (or get tips for your own similar trips!)