The first time Gina and Greg met (September 16, 2006)
Contents
The Backstory
Greg and Gina’s eyes first met on August 2006 during a Society of Hispanic Engineering (SHPE) party. Julianna asked Gina to the party while Greg was asked by Ivan (James also tagged along). After meeting they exchanged MySpace contact information and began chatting off and on. Gina visited her sister, Jill, in New York in January of 2007 where she heard Greg’s MySpace song (New Found Glory’s “It’s Not Your Fault”) playing in a clothing store. She sent a message to Greg in November 2006, the night before Greg would interview, and later take a position in New Mexico.
Carrabbas Italian Grill was the site of their first date on January 1st, 2007. After dinner, Greg took Gina on a typical follow-up movie matinée, but Gina wanted to break the typical date mold and suggested they grab some candy at a gas station and chat back at Greg’s place (Gina’s honesty and uniqueness almost made Greg faint). After many long telephone calls and several sequential dates in the week that followed the first date, both knew that they would be together in the future.
In March of 2007, Greg took a job that required him to move to New Mexico, 275 miles away from Tucson. The gap in distance was easily bridged, as Greg or Gina would visit each other roughly every two weeks. In November of 2007, Gina and Greg had their first Thanksgiving on their own in New Mexico. This is where Gina found her love for wine (a bottle of Chianti), and where Greg learned that Gina can cook up a storm!
It was a trip to Italy that sealed the fate of this couple in May of 2009. During this two week adventure, a great portion of Italy was toured including Rome, Florence, Rimini, Santarchangelo, Venice, San Marino, and Cinque Terra.
Greg proposed to Gina a few steps away from this bench
The Proposal
During their trip to Italy, Greg kept the ring in close reach waiting for the right time to pop the question. Although the perfect spot was found on top of the mountainous San Marco, he thought about popping the question in Venice, or San Archangelo, but the unique nature of the Republic of San Marino (a country within Italy) is what sold him. After the proposal, they celebrated on the shores of Rimini.