How We Met

People always chuckle when I tell them how I met Bruce. We met on the Internet! Everyone always wonders, "does it work?" Yes, it does! Sort of. You need a little divine intervention. More on that later.

In this age of computer dating, I have tried plenty of Internet options - Match, eHarmony, AOL, Yahoo!, Craigslist, American Singles, you name it. None of them worked. I would chalk it up to a numbers game. You have to keep getting out there and meeting people. You could meet losers in a bar, at the gym, through your friends, at a club meeting. I've tried them all.

I will admit to getting discouraged, and my buddy Mike will confirm it. I was just about to give up when I remembered my Aunt Alice. Before she passed away, she would always tell me to pray. She relied on prayer to help her cope with her disease. I'm still impressed by her patience and faith. So I thought to myself, I've been very patient. There's got to be someone out there for me. Aunt Alice would tell me to pray. But to be very specific! That was a running joke with us.

A long time ago, we had a conversation where I was griping about something and she reminded me to pray. I probably said something like, "I do pray! but it doesn't work!" And she probably said something like, "Yes it does! What did you pray for?" I told her, "I asked God to make me a more patient person. And now I feel like I'm paying for it!" I remember Aunt Alice laughed and said "Alison, don't pray for patience! NEVER pray for patience!" Because you will learn that lesson, but not in a way you want. God will surely test your patience. There were days where I wished I could take back that prayer and say a different one. Aunt Alice also laughed because she'd been there too - she had also prayed for patience. For her, I think it was good prayer. When she first got sick, doctors told her she had 6-12 months to live, and she lived for almost 2 decades past that.

So I thought to myself, "what would Aunt Alice do?" :)

Aunt Alice would say to never give up on something - just pray for it, and it will come. Maybe not in the form you thought, or when you want it, but God answers prayer. But you MUST be SPECIFIC! I remembered the 2 of us laughing about that. So I decided to be very specific. My cousin-in-law Sheila gave me the most amazing book - "Creative Visualization" by Shakti Gawain. I began to meditate on what my perfect husband would be. I was very specific about what I wanted - someone creative, artistic, someone with very similar hobbies to mine, someone romantic and affectionate, someone close to his family like I am to mine, etc. I used Shakti's "pink bubble technique" and visualized the attributes I wanted this man to have. You visualize putting them into a pink bubble and then letting it go - out into the universe where it can collect what you want and bring it back to you. I did this almost every day on my subway commute to and from work. And at night, I would ask God, "I put my pink bubble out into the universe. Can You please bring this specific man to me? And even more importantly, will You open my eyes and show him to me so that I don't miss Your gift? Because I know You will answer my prayer, but I'm afraid I won't see what form You sent him in."

How much more specific can you get?! "God, bring me my man and make sure I know he's the one You sent!" This went on for several months. I wasn't having any luck with online personals. Then a light bulb went on. Maybe I can be even more specific? I posted a profile on AsianRomance.com. I was on there for maybe a month. Bruce was on for about 2 weeks. We met and the rest is history.

God answers prayer! Just do it!

And remember to be VERY specific. (Thanks, Aunt Alice!)

Welcome to our blog!

Weddings are tough! Everyone keeps telling us it will be hard, but so far, it's been easy. With the exception of...MONEY. Isn't that always the case? Everything comes down to money. So, this blog will chronicle our wedding plans, and we invite you to post your comments, suggestions, referrals to great deals, tidbits of info or personal wisdom, and your own wedding plan combat stories.

We also invite you to help us out financially. But everyone knows that in life, you don't get something for nothing. We wouldn't want you to, either. So, we're offering deep discounts on our t-shirt line. Please help us out so that Grandma Dorothy can come to our wedding! Buy a shirt and a generous portion of the sale will fund her airfare, oxygen tank, oxygen machine, and portable bottles. A portable bottle only last 6-8 hours, so she'll need a new bottle as soon as she lands in Newark Airport. And we'll need to keep a giant oxygen tank in her hotel room that she can get refills from.

I would be so grateful for any small amount you can offer. I am the oldest of her 4 grandchildren, and the last to get married. I really want her to come to my wedding, and she really wants to come. She's 88 and you don't know how much time you have left with your loved ones. Believe me, I KNOW this idea is tacky - and even if I didn't, my mother has told me so. But words can't describe how desperate I am to have Grandma come to my wedding. She has always been my inspiration to stay fit. She has always encouraged me to keep enduring through any obstacle. She doesn't know yet that Bruce & I are doing this. She'll probably cry every time I call her and say "someone just bought a shirt for your airfare!" We're not asking for much. We're not going to use this idea as a money maker. Once we have what we need, the whole operation will be turned off.

Thank you in advance for what I hope will be your not only your financial support, but what I hope will be your emotional support - through your visits to this blog, sharing your comments, and sharing this site with your friends.