EMILY'S VERSION: Dushi and I actually first met in 2007 when I moved to California to work at a school where she also happened to work. Within the first few weeks of starting my new job, and being the naive person that I was at the time, I left my brand new iPhone 1 in my (unlocked) office. Before sealing my fate and blaming one of the kids for stealing it, I asked the lady in the front office if anyone had turned it in. This dumb idea of mine resulted in all students having be searched prior to getting on the vans to go home if it didn't turn up. Needless to say, staff nor students were pleased that this pushed back their departure time in the afternoon much later than usual. But this embarrassing situation resulted in Dushi and I's first encounter-- she kindly reminded me that leaving a highly coveted, brand new $1000 cell phone unattended around a bunch of kids on probation was probably not a good idea ;)
SARBIA'S VERSION: I saw Emily’s white hair running down the hallway and I thought to myself “Here we go again, another white BCBA who doesn’t know what they are doing around these kids”. Every time a new staff member started, I knew my students would try to take advantage of them, so I had to be on my toes. I was used to seeing staff come and go because our students were difficult to work with, so I assumed she would be one of those. Since Emily was in management, I always kept it professional. One day she struck up a conversation and asked about my weekend plans. When I told her I was going to Mexicali, she asked if I could bring her some tequila and I remember finding it surprising and funny that she would ask me that! I remember Emily could never sit still, I would always see her white hair somewhere in the building. Knowing what I know now, of course Emily was all over the place and of course she lost her phone! But I am glad she was not just another employee who didn't stick around...
EMILY'S VERSION: This was actually about 2 years after my business partners and I purchased our schools from the previous owners. The ironic thing is that the terms of our purchase agreement explicitly stated that we were able to hire all of our own employees, and any employee wanting to work for us would have to submit an application and complete an interview. My business partners and I were reviewing applications, and Dushi's was one of them. I remember seeing her application, remembering who she was and knowing that I wanted to hire her because I always valued and respected the work she did with our kiddos. When she came in for her interview, she told us right off the bat she was nervous, and I could tell and I felt so badly for her! Anyways, we of course hired her and I was super stoked-- and it was honestly not for any reason other than I knew that we had someone with the most ideal skillset in the position. During the first 2 years while she was one of my employees, all of our interactions were nothing but professional. But then in February of 2014, I started to get to know her on a more personal level. I started to have casual conversations with her here and there during work....and then more after work.....then on the weekends.....then I was going on vacation and missing my conversations with her, and would call her and talk to her. I LOVE my vacations, so for me to miss someone at home enough to spend a significant amount of time talking to them WHILE on vacation, I knew I had a little crush on her :). Then in March I went on a snowboarding trip to Whistler, and actually spent a good amount of money to come back from that trip 2 days early just to be able to spend time with her before going back to work. I remember landing at LAX, dashing to grab my bags from baggage claim, and blasting home as fast as I possibly could so that she could meet me there. The rest is a wrap :).
SARBIA'S VERSION: I remember at the time, I was a Behavior Intervention Aide at our Riverside campus. Because Emmy was one of the owners, she moved around a lot between all of the campuses. But then in 2014 she started spending more time at the Riverside campus. One of my jobs was to oversee the behavior emergency reports, and I had to go to her at the end of each school day to review them with her and debrief about the next day. One Friday afternoon, somehow something about my granddaughter came up, and she asked if she could see a picture of her. At that point, we started to have casual conversations related to our lives outside work and we learned that we had a lot in common. Before I knew it, Emmy and I started hanging out a lot more often, and grew to become very close. Even though I really enjoyed our talks and time together, this was also a very confusing time for me because I was not sure what to make of my feelings and my curiosity. I was very comfortable around Emmy, more than I usually was, and found her to be so unbelievably sweet, so easy to talk to and I found myself connecting with her on a very special level. I decided to do something that was completely out of the ordinary for me, and follow my heart. But the more time that passed, I knew that what I felt for Emmy was pure love because even though I was stepping out of my comfort zone, I actually felt more comfortable and happier than I ever had felt before. I never second guessed myself and didn't look back, and man am I so glad that I didn't because I wouldn't be where I am today!
EMILY'S VERSION: 2/17/2019. This day was the culmination of a tumultuous 2+ years. The train wreck that most people probably thought I was destined for since I was a little kid was almost at the end of the track. But then Dushi jumped in the drivers seat and slammed on the brakes for me....and made me get my dilapidated train back on track. I always knew that she was my forever, but I knew I had baggage that I needed to get rid of to ensure she didn't get off at the next stop. And she never got off, even though there were many exits along the way. On 4/18/2018, I dropped her off for a minor outpatient procedure, and I sat in my car and cried thinking about how devastated I would be if something happened to her, and how empty I would be without her. This cathartic moment solidified that I needed to get my shit together because I wanted to marry this girl, and I wanted her to feel certain she wanted to marry me too....
SARBIA'S VERSION: I love this day, this is a day I will never forget. I couldn't believe she did all this for me and pulled it off without me knowing. Flying to Anguilla with rose petals in her carry-on, arranging a private catamaran, hiring an undercover photographer and proposing to me on a desolate island in the middle of the Caribbean. I was in complete shock, and honestly thought we were just on another vacation. Me being the always skeptical person that I am, I'm not gonna lie, in the beginning I was a little concerned that Emily had us by ourselves on a boat with complete strangers in the middle of the ocean! But, if there was one thing I was sure of, it was that I was safe with Emmy, that she would always protect me, and that I definitely wanted to marry her.