Day Two: The Ferris Wheel

When I think of this day of our relationship I always think of the Ferris wheel, how beautiful my man is, and ice cream.
Let me explain.
Cristiano and I met at the first day of a church singles conference in Santa Cruz in September of 2009. As I said in an earlier post, the first meeting was interesting but we hadn't been struck by love yet. That was day two. Ha ha ha. Just kidding, but it is not far from the truth. The second day of the conference took place at the (in)famous Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk. After much internal struggle on what would be the best strategic decision, I am all a about strategy and the numbers game of dating, I just couldn't figure out what the most advantageous activity would be! This really annoyed me but I finally relegated myself to just going on the rides with friends. Eventually everyone went on a ride I couldn't go on as I have vertigo.
Enter Fredric again.
He told me to come and join his group and after some hesitation I finally did. Low and behold, there was Chris. We talked and I got on a ride with many of the group. Chris wasn't going on the ride and as soon as we were away from him Fredric said, "Wow, you guys totally have this whole Italian vibe going on."
"I don't know," I replied very skeptically, "maybe it is just his Italian way of talking to women." You know the stereotype.
Frederic simply said, "Lora, there are other women here and he is not acting the same way with them. He got your information didn't he?"
"Well, we exchanged business cards"
Disclaimer: I live in Silicon Valley. Exchanging business cards is just how it is sometimes done here. If you don't end up on a date why not make it a business venture or vice versa:-P
"Right<" Fredric said, "he's interested." So, ok. Eventually we got off the ride and after a hilarious conversation with the two guys about the apparent phenomenon of chocolate dipped cones (Do they put the chocolate on and then squirt the ice cream in?) and Ferris wheels (When do you get on and how long do you ride? When is the ride over? How do they know whose turn it is to get off? How many times does it go around before they stop it? and the like) I discovered that Chris probably was really interested in me. "Pray tell, how" you ask? He offered me his ice cream and then touched it to my nose when I tried to get a lick. Those of you that know him will not be shocked by this behavior. I guess he didn't like that I was talking to my friend Alena and telling her where to find us on the boardwalk. He is a tease! This is actually the picture he took of me right before the ice cream on the nose incident.

I actually have quite a few memories about this day that I will not bore you with (yes, I did write about it in my journal). But I will say this: I did find Cristiano to be enchanting, passionate, expressive, beautiful, and...frightening. Yes, he scared me to death! Fredric and I ruminated on this after Chris had left and we were riding on the Ferris wheel. "Why are does he scare you? I think he is a good guy," he told me.
"I don't know," I said. I later decided it was because I was interested in Chris, heaven forbid. I know, shocking.
Then came the line Fredric and I still kid about when we think of this day, "What's the big deal? You make a little pasta, you add a little sauce." Alright. And so I took the plunge.



















Chris, Me, and Fredric (who, incidentally, I had met speed dating a year and a half before). I know. Even with, or maybe because of, the crazy hat I still fell for him.