Rashida & Will’s story

Wedding Date: July 12, 2009

An Uncommon Love Affair

This love affair with Will Reed began March 19, 2008. Yes, it has not even been a year yet. I am an events planner and was in LA for a regional conference I had planned for the LA office. I am a stickler for everything happening a certain way the day before my events, this event would be no different. I was supposed to leave on a 7 am flight and would arrive early enough that I would be able to walk the space again and touch base with my local point of contact to ensure all of the speakers were in place. I never miss a flight. For whatever reason, I overslept March 18, 2008. My mom called and asked if I had made it through security yet and I informed her I wasn’t even out of  the bed yet. She asked me what time my flight was I told her the time and she informed me that it was in an hour.. There was no way I would be able to get dressed, drive from Frisco to DFW, get through security and make my flight. No way! There was a nice American Airlines customer service rep who was able to get me out on the 4:20 flight (I remember the time) but I would not get in until 5 something. Rush hour in LA arriving time? This means I would not get to the hotel until 7 or 8 pm. I should have known this would be a very uncommon trip.

The morning of the 19th went smoothly. I advanced the space as I normally would and was all set for another great meeting. I should have known things were going to well. I was informed by my local point of contact that morning that a partner organization sent out last minute emails and there is a good chance “a few more people” might show up. Turned out to be about 30 more but what’s a few more attendees? The day went out without a hitch but around noon I started getting text messages and friends asking if I was ok and if I was safe. For those who did not know I was out of town, they worried I was back in Texas. That day there were extremely heavy rains and there was flooding throughout the DFW area. I monitored the situation throughout the afternoon and hoped I would be able to fly back in on Thursday. Around 3pm one of the attendees began speaking with me and one of my coworkers. We were discussing March Madness but for the life of me, I couldn’t understand why the attendee thought he was invited to our conversation.

Mr. Reed came to speak to me directly. There was small talk but it was clearly evident that I was not interested in him. He handed me his card and I asked him if he wanted to be added to a distribution list. He told me no and to turn the card over. He had his personal and work cell phone numbers written on the card and he told me to give him a call (I still have this card and carry it in my wallet). Who the heck did he think he was approaching me like that? I was so caught off guard, actually stunned that he had just done that.

I called my best friend when I got to the hotel and told her what happened. She told me it never hurts to have more friends. So I called. What do I hear in the background…KIDS!!! Oh heck no. I knew this would be a very short convo. It lasted for about 10 minutes. He said he would feed his kids and call me back. I was hoping he would not call back but he did. So we talked a few hours and he turned out to be really nice. The next day my flight out of LAX was delayed hours and so we talked the entire time I was at the airport. He was so incredible.

We continued our long distance friendship and in May he took me to dinner (when I had another event in LA) and something as simple as dinner was so incredible and so life changing. We continued growing our relationship and in September of 2008 we decided to think about marriage. All small talk nothing serious but we did it anyway. We knew we were destined to spend the rest of our lives together. It has felt like we have known each other for years and it hasn’t even been a year that we have known each other. When it’s right, it’s right. You just know. In a short amount of time Will has become my best friend and love of my life.

I have never met a man who is as wonderful as Will. He makes me happy deep down not with gifts, or a lot of talk but through his actions. He is caring, compassionate, thoughtful, and so very loving. I never thought I would love a man the way I love him. We love to recite movies together, we love the same type of music. We both love the North Carolina Tarheels (basketball). We love to be with each other. We love to see the other smile. We just love being in love.

On December 11, 2008 I lost my job. After being there for almost ten years I was let go along with 80 other people. While we had talked about getting married, I always thought my job would transfer me there and we would not have to worry about that cost and could focus on the wedding. Well, as the economy has it that was not to be and I was laid off. No more job security. Through it all, Will has been supportive, encouraging and has provided so many days of laughter.

On December 31, 2008 the man who has kept me grounded got down on one knee and asked me to be his wife. I was so shocked…really stunned…really shocked. I was expecting something different. Way different. He told me he had a surprise for me. I thought it was coming from a particular website (www.trashy.com) but that was not to be the case. So saying yes was a nod of the head and my brain telling my lungs to breath and heart to continue supplying blood to my body.

I am the only one who lives here in Texas. Given the economy we don’t anticipate many of our family members will be able to join us. I want to be able to cherish this day and share it in a way that photos just can’t do. Family means so much to him and I know being able to share our day with the family who can’t attend would be the best wedding gift I could possibly give him.

I know you will get many stories that are heartfelt, funny and more incredible than mine. I want this more than others right now because I know it’s something that’s really not in our budget. This would be like winning the lottery for me. Because of our short time together and the distance we don’t have many photos but the one I do have was taken at my birthday dinner at the end of October. Our video would more than make up for the photos we have not been able to take together it would be us in action for everyone to see!