One Day in China...

          Once upon a time two college students stepped off the plane into the Pudong International Airport (Shanghai). Laurie, a student from the University of South Carolina, was there as part of her International Business program to continue her Chinese language studies (part of her plan to rule the world some day).  It would have been more effective if she possessed any language abilities what-so-ever.  Nick, a strapping young student from Texas Tech University, was there to expand his horizons, master Chinese, fulfil his thirst for new experiences and put another notch on his travel belt. Neither knew what the next few months had in store for them.  

The Bus :

          Both students climbed on to the bus to begin their Shanghai experience and there might be some confusion as to how it all started... 

          Some people say the story goes as follows (and they'd be right):

          Laurie was being her usual demure, quiet, reserved, introverted, un-opinionated self (fact : no matter what they tell you), when Nick spotted her.

          Other people say the story actually goes as follows :

          Nick was being his normal, confident, and friendly self and was engaged in a pleasant conversation with his seat mate. However, he was frequently distracted from his incredibly interesting story by the sound of a loud, boisterous, argumentative precious little girl a row behind him.  When his eyes turned to meet the eyes of the troublemaker, he knew he was in trouble.  Naturally, love at first sight.

Night 3:  

          The group was beginning to buddy up and the Texas Tech group started hanging out with the South Carolina duo, Laurie and Andy (Laurie's freshman dorm next door neighbor). As college kids will sometimes do, they all decided to explore their surroundings with an unmarked path and maybe a few local brews. Nick and Laurie joined in, more than willing to escape their stark, subzero temperature dorm rooms that could only be described as something between a psychiatric ward and a local jail cell. Both of them recall wanting to make sure they were walking next to each other that night, finding an instant connection and an effortless conversation.

Week 2: 

          Fast-forward a week of getting to know each other while bonding over music and a hatred of endless Chinese homework. Laurie will admit she was completely hooked on Nick after seeing his iTunes music library. Nick knew he had roped her in and had to make a move to get into her upper-level Chinese class. Seeing each other fourteen hours a day was apparently not enough. So, Nick sweet talked the teachers into giving him a desk right next to his future bride.

The next few months:

          Laurie's Mom knew something was up when she came across a certain picture where Laurie was standing just a hair closer to an unknown bearded fellow from Texas.  Seriously, look at the picture. Only a mother would pick something up from it.  She mentioned him and her suspicions were validated when Laurie actually admitted to knowing the guy.  Previously, she enjoyed keeping these things private.  Nick's parents found out in a similar way, noticing he skipped certain photos a little quicker than the others.  The denial phase did not last very long and he eventually had to admit he was most likely coming home from China with more than cheap suits and software.  The two traveled China together taking trips to Hainan, Beijing, Xi'an, Hong Kong, Guiyang, Suchou and Hangzhou. Which brings us upon... 
  
Xi'an:

          A pivotal and defining moment for Nick realizing he could potentially marry this girl after the "incident".  Nick will tell the story as follows.  For their first trip together they had booked an overnight trip to Xian to see the Terracotta warriors.  Everything went swimmingly, until upon arrival they hopped in a taxi that drove them to their hotel in the center of Xian.  Upon entry to the hotel, they realized they had left their suitcase in the Taxi.  After rushing back and forth to try and catch the Taxi, the tile was a little slippery and the little, American, white girl went down.  White girl fell hard in front of a million and a half Chinese people.  It's how she reacted next that he knew she was a keeper. After getting over the devastating loss of their beloved clothes and toiletries, they realized Nick (always thinking) had packed all of the essentials in his trusty backpack (passports, money, train tickets etc). They then embarked on an additional unplanned adventure to clothe themselves with what was readily available on the ancient streets of Xi'an. Laurie took it like a champ. They made the best of the trip and had a more amazing time than they had planned. 

          Laurie will tell you she gallantly leaped into the hotel beating Nick back to the front desk.  The fall was obviously fabricated and security footage no longer exists...
  
Leaving China:

          Throughout their five months of adventures Laurie and Nick had decided they wanted to continue their journey back in the states despite no longer living down the hall from each other. Texas after all was quite a distance from South Carolina and even more of a distance to New Jersey.  With the help of their amazing parents, Nick and Laurie saw each other consistently throughout their year apart. (Nick essentially lived with Laurie's family the summer after China at the Madden Motel). Megan, Laurie's beloved college roommate also found herself with a frequent additional non-rent paying roommate. Luckily, he was a lot tidier than Laurie and paid his dues in cleanliness.

Life after College:

          After the year and a half of support from their parents, friends, God, and Skype they graduated and began a life together in Dallas, TX.  Thus ending their American Airlines Priority status and frequent upgrades to first class.  Laurie is still coping.  They both got jobs at Dal-Tile and spend each day carpooling to work together, eating lunch together, carpooling from work together, spending evenings togethers and repeating.  

Family Additions:

          This love story wouldn't be complete with out mentioning the two fluffy grandchildren their parents inherited.  Mowgli and Zoie. Mowgli, now 3 years of age, spends his time never doing anything wrong, sleeping in, lounging in the sun and occasionally using Zoie as a chew toy.  Zoie, now 2 1/2 years of age, has a heart bigger than her stomach (difficult to believe)and spends her time on Nick's lap, on Nick's head, or on the other-side of whatever door is blocking her from Nick.

Moving Forward:

         Therein lies the first chapters of our relationship and we are so excited to see what the future holds for us.  We can't wait to spend our wedding day with all of our family and friends.