Our Story
“People often ask how we met and we tell them, “We actually met in a bar.”
No, really, that’s where we first met. But it wasn’t just a drunken mishap that led to our union. Lucky for us, we had a mutual friend that just happened to invite Taira out for drinks one night while a group of us were meeting up. This friend? Chad Rosen, OD, MBA, FAAO. Well, that’s who he is now. At the time, he was living with Marcos during his final optometry rotation in Reno. Taira, who just happened to be a classmate of his, was also in town for her own optometry rotation.
The night we met didn’t end in googly eyes and a goodnight kiss. “Why not,” you ask? Well, at the time, Marcos actually had a girlfriend, who was also there that night. Little did he know that the next seven years of his life would change soon after that night.
A lot can change in three months, which is the duration of Chad and Taira’s optometry rotation. And change it did. Fortunately for Marcos, his relationship was on the outs long before he met Taira. And little did she know that she was just what he needed in his life.
Before we knew it, graduation time had come and it was time for Taira to move on from Reno and on to her residency in Roseburg, Oregon. Marcos had to make a move, and do it quick. So he did. And the rest is history.
Ok, it wasn’t really that simple. That summer, the long-distance relationship was tough. Marcos had his doubts it could work, but Taira always seemed confident and would make the drive down to Reno once in a while to see to it personally. It took some time, and Marcos almost called it quits, but he finally wised up and realized what he was about to lose — the love of his life.
So, after making a couple trips up to Oregon himself and fully committing to long-distance, Taira eventually finished her residency and moved back to Reno. Shortly after this, a dog entered our lives, who we named Lexi.
After a few years of living together, Marcos finally decided it was time to pop the question. He went to a jewelry store and was going to be discreet and make it a surprise, but the options were quite overwhelming, so he decided to just let her in on the action and try on some rings. After getting her to narrow it down to a few selections, he then went back and purchased the ring without her knowing. This was around Thanksgiving.
With a trip to Utah coming to meet up with Taira’s parents and brothers, he knew it would be a perfect time to pop the question. Taira has always been close with her family and he wanted them to be able to share in their special moment.
On Christmas Day, they decided to take some family pictures in the living room of their Air BnB. Taira had set up a tripod with her camera and was remotely taking pictures so that all of the family could be in the shot. Marcos tried to slyly take the remote away so that he could get the special moment on film (digital?), but Taira wasn’t really cooperating. So, he gave up and just dropped to one knee and pulled out the ring. Her mother was quite shocked.
If you’re still with me, she ended up saying yes!
We said “I Do” a year and a half later in front of the most important people in our lives. Words really do fail us when we try to describe our special day, but we both know that the day went by in the blink of an eye!
As newlyweds, we completed house projects galore. We added another dog to the family, a black lab puppy, who we named Remi Rose. We even celebrated our wedding anniversary in quarantine thanks to COVID.
Reflecting back on our first year of husband and wife… Nothing was EASIER than standing there on our wedding day and saying our vows. I mean, when you have been together for seven years, you are certain that this relationship is what you want {it’s about time we made it official!} However, we have learned nothing has been more DIFFICULT than actually living those vows day to day. When you love someone, you do not love them all the time in exactly the same way. That is impossible. Yet that is what most of us expect. We forget the ebb and flow of life, and of love, and relationships. We insist on permanence, on duration, on continuity. But in love, as in life, the only stability is in change, in growth, and in freedom. Therefore, what we promised to each other on our wedding day must be renewed and reaffirmed today, tomorrow, and all the tomorrows to come.”
