From this point forward, I will be recounting the events that unfolded while she was with me in the States. This past October, I was the happiest I have ever been. I will also be sharing with you the saddest time of my life. All of these emotions happened within a 30-day span and it was one hell of a rollercoaster. Sit down and strap in for the rest of this story.
It is October 1st and I am scrambling to get everything perfect for when Virginie arrives, first impressions are important. I make sure to buy some of her favorite snacks and some good smelling soap. I also make sure to pick up the final touches on her birthday gifts because she’ll be spending her birthday with me. The stress and excitement were at an all-time high at this moment, I don’t think I have ever felt like this. It was similar to how you feel on Christmas Eve as a child but magnified by 100. I wanted time to pass by quickly but I also needed every second possible to place the final pieces of the puzzle.
I mentioned that Virginie was spending her birthday with me. This was a huge deal given the fact that I had been planning it since May while also keeping it a secret. For the record, I am horrible at keeping secrets so you can only imagine how tough this was for me. It was extremely important to me to make this Birthday one of the best she has ever had. I was not cutting corners on any details.
What did I get her? Well, Virginie often says I have trouble listening to her. Sometimes that is true but definitely not all the time. I wanted to prove her wrong by getting her gifts that she has talked about but never in great detail. The first thing I got her was the collector’s edition of all the Jane Austen novels. She is absolutely obsessed with this author and always giving me summaries of her novels. I am not much into that but for some reason, I love hearing the excitement in Virginie’s voice when she talks about those books.
I knew I had to find this collectors edition but they don’t produce it anymore. In my search for this beloved novel, I was fortunate to find it brand new from a used bookstore in New Mexico. I wasted no time at all and ordered it all the way back in June. The book arrived a week later and it was absolutely gorgeous. I knew Virginie was going to go crazy over it.
Virginie often talked about always wanting a wand like the ones from Harry Potter. Like any sane person, I bought her two wands. Double the power, right? Or it could be that I love spoiling her. Well, I didn’t stop at the wands, I went a step further. I bought us two tickets to watch the Phoenix Symphony perform all the music from the first Harry Potter movie. Virginie loves classical music so this worked out perfect. The pieces were finally set for the best birthday ever. All I had to do was wait.
October 2nd was finally upon us! I didn’t sleep very well because I was worried about Virginie. She had only taken a plane once before this and that was only to Germany. Her phone ran out of batteries quite quickly so I had not heard from her since her final take -off in Europe which was nearly 8 hours prior. I finally received a text from her when she had landed in Denver. It was a short text but it was a huge relief hearing from her. She had a three-hour layover in Denver and she was going to try to catch some Zs. That was the last time I heard from her until she arrived in Phoenix.
The hours were counting down and I was trying to glue myself together. I made sure to dress up nice to meet her at the airport. I wore one of my few collared shirts with matching dress pants and the newest hat I owned. It was refreshing to dress nice for the sake of another person, it is something I don’t get to do often. I knew she wasn’t going to be dressed up but that didn’t matter to me because she is stunning no matter what.
It was almost time… The final touches had been put on the house and now it was time to head to the airport. My mother and sister accompanied me on the journey to the airport/big meeting. We arrived about 15 minutes before her plane touched down in Phoenix. The anticipation of meeting her while we waited was unlike anything I have experienced.
Her plane landed and people had started to trickle down the walkway. It was set up so you could only see their shoes and legs first and then as they descended down the path more of them would be revealed. I knew what Virginie dressed in before she left so I was like a hawk looking for Converse and denim jeans. One after another people passed us but no sign of Virginie. I was starting to think she possibly missed her flight. I was quite shocked to see how many people were on the Monday night flight from Denver to Phoenix.
Finally, I saw a pair of Converse followed by denim jeans. Next, I see a button up flannel shirt and the tips of her braided hair. It was her! It was the girl I had only see on webcam up until this point. I could feel my cheeks get warm, my chest pounding, and a smile that was borderline painful. Virginie was even more beautiful than I had known before. I felt as if I was the single luckiest man ever. Once our eyes connected I saw that beautiful smile I had come to love so much. Then it finally happened! We got to hug, something we had been wanting to do for so long. Feeling her skin against mine was a surreal moment and I have no words to do it justice. It felt right.
We snap back to reality and I realize how tired Virginie is. At this point, she had been up for 24 hours straight and she was feeling it. We go to get her bags while discussing the days travel she just had gone through. It felt so amazing to hear her voice naturally and not filtered through a microphone. It was even softer and more divine than I had thought previously. We get her luggage and began our journey home but first, we had to stop for food.
We arrive home and start giving the normal tour of the house while also meeting the animals. The dogs absolutely love her which is always a great sign. We head to my bedroom last. On the bed sat a pair of brand new pink slippers and on top of them were the wand plus the tickets to the Symphony. I had to do this because the show was a week away and her birthday was a little over two weeks away. She lit up with excitement and thanked me with a kiss. I was thrilled to see her get excited given how tired she had been.
We went to bed shortly afterward with love in our hearts and smile on our faces. The first impressions went fantastic and now we had a fun filled month ahead of us.