I wear many hats as the CEO and Founder at LunaNation. I'm an insurance guy, sales coach, and multiple business owner. I am also a proud husband and father of two. I bet you didn't know, however, that I was once a fanboy too. On this Valentines Day I thought I'd reveal how I met my wife and a little about our love story.
Let me begin by sharing that I made a bold declaration the very first time I saw Lisa. It was 2006 and I was working in sales for a company that owns and operates gyms. My task on this specific day was to interview prospects for a sales job. That's when in walked Lisa.
This woman was fantastic in the interview!
She was bright.
She was articulate.
She was sweet.
In fact, as Lisa left the gym following our interview, I turned to my colleague and said, If I could just meet a girl like that, I'd marry her in a heartbeat.
Secretly, I became Lisa's biggest fan.
Not surprisingly, I hired Lisa. And she did perform her job outstandingly. In fact, she earned Rookie of the Month her first month selling gym memberships. Unlucky for me, however, after less than two months on the job, she shared that she would be relocating to Dallas, some five hours away.
I thought that would be it. However, thanks to her stellar work achievement and snail mail, Lisa had an outstanding trophy coming her way. That single trophy, combined with the fact that Lisa no longer worked for me, would give me the chance to make my move.
Which I of course did.
Upon a return visit to San Antonio by Lisa, I had the opportunity to not only give her the outstanding achievement award she was owed, I had the chance to ask her out. With a stroke of good luck, or perhaps cupid on my side, the tall and stunning beauty agreed to have dinner with me. It was the start of our courtship. After a short time, Lisa ended up moving back to San Antonio and went back into teaching instead of sales. She even took an interest in my beloved baseball and became a Red Sox fan, much to my amusement. As a die-hard Dodgers fan, it made for some interesting game-watching together.
She.
Was.
Perfect.
So, in 2008, as the Dodgers and Red Sox prepared to battle it out for a series title, I prepared to ask the woman of my dreams to marry me. It only made sense that I somehow involved our competing teams. So one spring evening, I surprised Lisa with a trip to Boston to watch our teams face off in person. At one point in the evening Lisa even left to get a beer and returned with one for me too. A gentleman sitting behind whispered in the best Boston accent now she's a keeper! If only he knew what would happen next. At the start of the seventh-inning stretch, surrounded by cheering fans, it was finally my personal at-bat. As those around us stood up I got down - on one knee! There, in front of a crowd of complete strangers, I asked Lisa to make me the happiest man on earth. Thank goodness she answered me with a resounding yes.
It was my big home run moment.
And I hit it out of the park!
In 2009, Lisa and I married.
Today, as an insurance agent I know the importance of going into a partnership with a sound financial understanding and even agreement. At the time of my proposal, Lisa and I had done a little pre-marital counseling which helped us touch upon some of the basics included with financial planning. But by no means did we lay out a major road map to retirement or even death. It was not until much later into our marriage when I joined the State Farm family that I really put focus on protection and financial plans. Surprising isn't it? In hindsight I should have evaluated all our insurance plans and financial opportunities a lot sooner. Thankfully, it was becoming a State Farm Agent that helped us get the ball rolling. As an agent I began to see just how important it can be to securely protect our assets as a couple. If something were to ever happen to either of us prematurely, we both now have the confidence that our family will be okay. The confidence and security this adds to our wellbeing as a family cannot be underestimated. It is huge. One of my greatest goals as a father and husband is to provide for my family financially and emotionally. Insurance protection has been a large part of that.
This year, Lisa and I will celebrate 16 years together. It has been absolutely fantastic. We are happy. We are healthy. We are busy. That's not to say my bride of nearly two decades and I don't have our disagreements. We do, like most couples. We are, after all, quite different. I'm an extrovert. Lisa would tell you that she's much more introverted. Lisa is detail-oriented and always planning. I tend to wing it. To quote Jerry McGuire (as well as age myself ), "She completes me."
Over time I have learned quite a bit about Lisa and our relationship. Communication is key, as is patience and having a mutual respect for one another. Here's another thing. I also discovered Lisa is not a huge baseball fan after all. And that's okay. She likes it enough for and because it's a passion of mine. To me, that is true love.
Lisa is the kindest and most selfless person I know. She supports me, my love for baseball, our girls, and LunaNation every chance she gets.
Lisa and I are excited for our future. We will both work hard to ensure that we continue to be happy and still communicate well. When I try to imagine us ten or twenty years from now I hope we will be that cute elderly couple that enters retirement together, happy, healthy, and simply enjoying one another's company.
Happy Valentine's Day, LunaNation!