Today’s blog is written by my beloved Timmy. It’s about how we met…I LOVE his version!!!
Wish you all a wonderful Aloha Friday full of unexpected LOVE ♡…
It all started 8 years ago after a long trip home from Australia where I battled hard in an Ironman after having raced the Half Ironman World Champs one week before in Florida, so you could say it was time for a holiday from triathlon. It was November of 2006 and I had just finished a great second year of professional racing finishing in the top 10 in the world. I had returned to Hawaii and went to one of my favorite hang outs Boca Hawaii to share my month of racing with my Boca Hawaii Family.
When I walked through the door my eyes where treated with the most beautiful sight, Mariane Uehara!! My first thoughts where “what the hell is this beautiful girl riding a triathlon bike on a trainer in Boca for!” I was meeting up with a few other friends who had already surrounded her like vultures and where asking 100 questions at 100 miles an hour. I kept my cool and didn’t attack but I new my time would come at some point. But one thing I got to know was that this amazing beauty was from Brazil and planning on staying in Hawaii for a few months. My good friend Raul who is also from Brazil told me that she was planning on doing the strength workout in the gym upstairs at 6pm.
The absolute last thing I wanted to do was a strength workout after my 2 weeks of crazy hard racing but a guy has to do what a guy has to do, to get that moment to chat with “her!” I had to bust out squats and all sorts of exercises that where making me want to cry. And finally after that horrible workout I got my moment, we all decided to go to Wahoo’s for dinner. She told me that she was looking for places to swim, bike, run and of course to have fun! I almost started laughing as I swim, bike, and run more than anyone in Hawaii!! The chase officially started and I was after her more than any other girl ever, I knew she was the one!
The funny thing about all this is that the last thing I wanted was commitment, I was a free bird traveling the world having good time doing it. I had no plans of setting down, or finding the one. In fact at this time I had a few friends that where getting married to people that I didn’t agree with and I was that guy telling his friends it might be a mistake!! But I was now that guy who couldn’t stop thinking of one thing, that girl Mariane!! Over the next few months we hung out but nothing really happened. I then started training again for the 2007 season, I traveled to Kona for a few weeks, then to California for another 2 weeks. But I couldn’t get her out of my mind, believe me 6 hours rides by yourself with one thing on your mind can drive you nuts!
I came home after a month away from Oahu and month away from “her!” But I went back to Boca one evening to coach and there she was and again I fell in love. This time she seemed to stand a bit closer, look in to my eyes a bit more, she started throwing out signs that she was interested in “me!” One evening in the parking lot at Ala Moana Mall as I walked her to her car I thought to hell with it, I’m leaning in for a kiss. And sure enough she accepted my lean in and in that moment I almost exploded with excitement! There was no plan, but the best part of the no plan was that it was all going perfectly to plan if there was a plan.
From there things really started flowing and we started having a blast together. A few weeks later there was an Olympic Distance Triathlon on the Big Island and I knew she would love the trip so I convinced her to come along. This is a big event on the Big Island called the Lavaman and gets a competitive field every year. We shared a hotel room with a good friend of mine in one of the shady Kona Hotels you stay at when you are on a budget, there were 4 of us crammed in one room. The race is held at the Waikoloa Hilton and one of the winners awards is a free night stay, I knew if I won we would have a nice night in a nice hotel with just us! Race day came and I was all fricken in!! I raced like a crazy maniac that day setting a new course record winning by minutes with love in my heart!! That night we stayed in the Hilton and that was the greatest night of my life!!
The next day we talked about our future, and especially her future. We both new that eventually she would have to go back to Brazil. Next thing I knew I was asking her to marry me, this happened before I have even thought about marriage at all in my entire life. She accepted, and I knew that I knew nothing about marriage but I also knew that I would do whatever it took to not lose “her!” I knew almost nothing about her, but I didn’t care, I knew enough, I knew she was “the one!”
What we did was go with our hearts, not only with Love but also with Life! She was like me a carefree bird flowing with whatever life had in store for us. It was fun introducing her to friends and family for the first time as “Hello Mom, this is my wife Mariane.” The funny thing is that everyone loved her just like I did.
Now eight years later we are still going with the flow and loving it! We both didn’t plan on any plan but we love the plan that is in store for us. We are also entering a new chapter of our lives and can’t wait for the adventure of all of it!!
Cheers,
Tim Marr
