We met snowboarding in 2008. Tiff thought Erik was cute, though maybe a little short for a Stormtrooper. He thought she looked like a boy. Other than a mutual love of "Phantom of the Opera" and a shared disgust for LA traffic, we seemed to have little in common. But we started hanging out.
Nearly a decade later, we're still at it. We dated not-quite-long distance for seven years, with Tiff based in LA while Erik bounced from OC to SD to DC to SF for graduate school and work. Eventually, we relocated to NYC -- but only after he popped the question and leveled up from "special friend" status in Mr. Hsu's book.
These days, we have quite a bit more in common. Erik introduced Tiff to Star Wars. Tiff schooled him in street art. We've visited two Bootie LAs, three Comic Cons and more than a dozen countries. We're proud godparents to Erik's nephew Aidan.
We have a good time.
Erik's proposal could not have been more amazing. He commissioned muralists to paint an incredible wall at SoMa street art gallery 1amSF.
Tiff was in the Bay seeing her family before decamping to NYC, so Erik suggested a San Francisco street art tour with her parents and friend Andrea. When he showed up in a suit, he claimed that he had already packed away his casual clothes in preparation for his own move to Manhattan. Tiff, who is apparently extremely gullible, fell for it.
The group saw a few murals before turning onto 6th Street. Erik and Andrea told Tiff to check out a stunning piece across the street. But there was only a blank wall -- it was a diversion so that Tiff's friends Devon and HC and Erik's parents could surreptitiously surround the real showstopper behind her. And the video shows the rest!
We've heard Satchmo's "What a Wonderful World" played during dinner in Casablanca, at Ned Kelly's Last Stand in Hong Kong, on the radio in Athens ... all over, really.
It's one of our favorite songs, because it reminds us of all of the incredible places we've been blessed to see together. Taiwan, Jordan, India, Myanmar, just to name a few. Hopefully, the future holds many more adventures for us!
Art is a driving force for us. Erik collects paintings while traveling, which means we're regularly venturing down random alleys hunting down canvases worth stuffing into our overpacked backpacks. Tiff is a street art maniac, so Erik dutifully helps her scout out new murals to photograph.
We are passionate consumers of a wide range of extremely nerdy content. Our comic book collection is substantial. We are willing to hop into costume at the slightest provocation. We know nothing -- other than hordes of useless tidbits about Harry Potter and Star Wars. Erik might've shed a tear or two when Battlestar Galactica ended.
These days, all we want is to live long and prosper.
Doubtful? Well, we find your lack of faith disturbing.
