How I Met My Husband

Usually I can type something up in an hour… this however needs attention to detail. I don’t even know where to start. My husband’s name is Paetur (pronounced Peter for the English folks), he is from small islands in the Atlantic Ocean, the Faroe Islands. That’s where we live now. However, we didn’t meet here or start our life here…

Let’s take it back to the year 2020 and the location is Monaco. Yes, along the mediterranean, the place where the richest roam, and no, we are not one of those people. Paetur was a student at the school in Monaco, studying for his bachelors. I was an ill 18 year old living with her parents in the most beautiful place in the world. But I was lonely, I had no friends.

One day, at Sunday church, I saw a new, handsome guy working tech at the front. He was in a short sleeve, blue button up and I had butterflies. He could be around my age and he was close with my dad who was the pastor at this church. As a new student in the area, he was renting a small apartment that didn’t have a vacuum cleaner, so he wanted to borrow ours. This is where we first met: my parents' apartment, me with my hair half up and in my pajamas, him handsome as ever, kind as always. We said hello, and later connected on Instagram.

Ahhh, yes, the day and age of sliding into the DM’s. I was happy to see that Paetur had found me on Instagram and opened a private chat after seeing an Insta story about my parents' super cute puppy! Things just went on from there. We went out first as friends for two coffee dates and then he asked me on a real date.

We went out for sushi in Monaco. I don’t eat a lot so we only ordered a small platter to share (knowing my husband now, I know he’d order 5 more platters if this wasn’t a first date). After that, we talked to each other almost everyday for a few months. We would watch movies, go for walks, visit small villages, go out for coffee or food… When we would talk, it was like we had known each other for years, and since we were spending so much time together we talked lots. Other couples may take years of dating to understand each other's wants and needs the way we did in mere months of dating.

On February 7th of 2020, Paetur and I went on one of our infamous walks with a Starbucks caramel macchiato in hand. As we arrived at the end of a pierre in Monaco, Paetur handed me a book, and it said on it “All You Need Is Love, To The One I Love - Tatianna Noel Sam” This book was filled with our journey, our love and hopes, all written and illustrated by him. He finished it off with a personal letter and then a page saying… “Tatianna Noel Sam, will you marry me”. I said yes before he could even get on one knee and say it outloud! I was so happy and there wasn’t a doubt in my mind that this was where we were meant to be. We were meant to come from almost opposite sides of the world, meet in Southern France, and find love in each other.

As Paetur took me home that night, I was hiding my heavy hand (you know, the one with the new diamond on it) behind my parents dog Desi. So my dad went into his office thinking today must not be the day. They knew it was coming, Paetur asked my dad for my hand… We all knew it was coming because the signs were so obvious– the love was so obvious. I went into the kitchen, beside my mom who was cutting dinner veggies, as I filled a clear glass up with water she did a double take of my hand, and screamed. My dad came rushing out. It was true! We were engaged!

Since we were in France and all our friends and family were elsewhere in the world, we Facetimed one by one, and got to share the news over and over. We were so excited and looking back the night is almost a blur. Who did we all call? What did they say??? It was the best of rollercoasters– except my husband doesn’t like roller coasters so, bad metaphor.

Being engaged, having multiple things thrown at us, and being in the midst of COVID, it wasn’t the easiest of engagements but it was special. We got to be together, with my parents, sharing this unique time in lockdown and wedding preparation. We all lived in a small, one bedroom apartment as well, so that also made things interesting. But when I look back, all I see is GOOD for us at the time. We had it so nice there, and shared this time that other couples just don’t get with their mother and father-in-laws.

Paetur and I married on September 5th of 2020 with a wedding in Roquebrune-Village and reception in Monaco, by the castle. We couldn’t have asked for a better day. It was PERFECT. The only downside was that we only were able to have 7 people there. With the COVID travel restrictions, lockdowns, illnesses…etc, we had a small wedding, but non the less, the wedding of our dreams.

Now we’ve been married for a year and a half and have moved living quarters 4 times, continents 2 times, and are now settled on small islands in the Atlantic Ocean, the Faroe Islands. It’s beautiful and there are tons of sheep (me being an animal lover, it’s my favorite thing). Settling in? Yes. Settled? No. We have a long way to go financially, with my health and just making our roots in friendships, family and lives with a little more normalcy than the last 2 years. But for the most part I would say our lives upgraded the second we found each other.