How I met my Husband...

My friends and I had a tradition going for about 3 years of going down to San Felipe every Memorial Day weekend. I really liked going there because it was the only place I could get a nice tan plus it was fun to just hang out on the beach and watch the tide come in. The tide goes out like a mile or so at night and then in the morning you can watch come in slowly. Back then like 1996-1999 it was really cool. It wasn't too crowded and the crowds that would go were cool people that had been going there for years. Nowadays it's kinda crazy, all these younger kids go now and it's changed quite a bit. Well, on Memorial weekend 1998 we rented a Ford Expedition and filled it to the brim with all our girlfriends and took the 6 hour trip down to San Felipe. When we got there we tried to getting some hotel rooms at our usual spot El Cortez Hotel, but it was full. So we went to a couple other hotels and they were full too. Just when we thought we were going to have to sleep in the truck one hotel said they had one space available but it wasn't a regular room, we didn't care as long as it had an A/C cause it is HOT down there. Well, it sure wasn't a regular room it was a teeny tiny trailer, you know those little round ones. Now, we were about 8 girls, I don't know how we did it that first night but it was crowded. (The next day we ran into some other friends that had rooms and some of us stayed with them.) So when we all got settled in, we all got ready and headed for Rockodiles, the then best place to hang. It's a restaurant bar that has the best view of the beach and the strip. We could see all the people walking up and down the strip from the balcony there. Then, someone caught my eye, a very cute, very buff dude. He was walking with another bigger buffer dude, I pointed them out to my friends and they concurred. We just hung out like that checking out the dudes and rating them and stuff like that. Then, as we were leaving to go walk around, the buff dudes were coming our way. My friend Mary asked if I wanted to be introduced and I said NO!
Soo she walked right up to the shorter one and said "Hey my friend would like to know you"
I turned beet red!! Well, he walked right up to me and asked me my name and I told him and he told me his, Fernando. He asked if I would be coming to the club later that night and I said sure. He said "Nice meeting you hope to see you later".
We went back to the trailer to get ready, which we had to do in shifts because of the limited space. When I was finished I went to sit outside. I saw someone from the corner of my eye trying to get my attention it was Fernando! He was staying in the same hotel! (They had a room though)
He walked over and said "How many people are staying in there?"
We laughed and then he said he was looking forward to seeing me at the club later.
So, when everybody was finally ready we headed back to Rockodiles they move the tables out to make room for the dance floor at night. I was sitting at the bar with my friend Gisel waiting for Fernando and I think I waited for about an hour and I was feeling pretty tired and a little bummed that maybe I'd been stood up. So I asked Gisel if she would go back to the trailer with me so I can go to sleep. I hadn't slept since we left L.A. the previous night. Well, as we walked out guess who was just getting there? Yeah! Fernando and let me tell you he sure cleans up well!! He asked me where I was going and I said "Umm.. I uh.. was just going to get a hot dog, yeah we'll be right back."
He said he would wait for me.
So, me and Gisel just looked at each other and said we should go back , you know just for a little bit yeah and check on the girls you know... well we got back and Fernando was sitting at the bar and asked if I wanted something to drink.
We started talking and we danced a little and talked some more, then we made our way out of the club to the shore across the street. We sat there under the full moon talking about everything, family, friends, future plans and stuff like that. When we finally realized the dance was over, my friends who had no idea where I had gone were calling my name out really loud. I waved them down and was like "What?" They were soo upset they started yelling at Fernando and me for not telling anyone where we had gone. We snuck into a cab while they were arguing amongst themselves and made our way back to the hotel. We went to sit by the pool and we talked some more. Then I fell asleep, he didn't realize it till he heard me snoring!! I was sooo tired!!! So I told him I better get back so he walked me to the trailer where Gisel had just arrived. She talked to him a little as I crashed onto the little bed. Then I heard some loud shouting, I got up to see what was going on, it was the rest of my friends getting back from the club and they were a little inebriated so they started yelling at Fernando again and then his friends showed up and it got louder until Gisel went out there and broke it up. The next day me and Gisel couldn't stop talking about him. "He's so cool, and he's cute!!" I was looking forward to hanging out with him again but I didn't see him again for the rest of the weekend. I was bummed, I thought maybe he was scared off by my friends.
Gisel said "It's okay Tina you'll see him again you have his number right?"
"No."
"Well he has yours right?"
"No."
We had talked all night but never exchanged numbers. So as we drove home I just thought about him and wondered if I would ever see him again. I told my mom about him and I even had a picture of him that my friend had taken. It was a nice memory. I thought that's all it would be.
BUT....
Like 2 weeks after getting back I received a phone call at work. I was working at Great Western Bank back then. Gisel answered the call (she worked there, too)
"Tina, it's Fernando?!"
"Who?"
"Fernando, San Felipe dude."
"NO WAY!! How did he find me?"
So I took the call
"Hi it's Fernando. Do you remember me?"
"Umm.. Oh yeah San Felipe right?'' (didn't want to sound desperate or anything)
"Yeah, when can I see you again?"
I told him it to give me his number since I was at work and I would call him later. I waited a couple days before calling though you know ;-)
It turned out that he remembered me mentioning where I worked when we talked and what city I was from. Soo, he asked his postman cousin to find me. His cousin happened to work the area where my branch was located and that was that.

We went on our first date to a restaurant in Glendale called Shakers. We hit it off like two birds of a feather. We had soo much in common!!
We dated for like 2 years and that's when Chela shared the Gospel with us, and life just wasn't the same. You know it was like our eyes had been opened and we could see how sinful our lives were. We couldn't stand to see each other for a while.
So, we started attending Grace Community Church and we heard the truth as we had never heard it before and asked Jesus to come into our lives. From then on it was like we had just met for our lives changed sooo much. We were new creations!! Fernando proposed to me in December of 2000 and we married in August 2001. I love him with a sacrificial love and he loves me with a Christ-like love. We have two beautiful kids and we have our ups and downs just like anybody else. But, we have a common foundation that can't be shaken and all our hope is in God alone.

p.s. Fernando's version is a little different, I'll share it later.