A few Februarys ago I found myself on a plane ride from San Diego to London on my way to a charming countryside estate where I was working an event as a freelance contractor. Little did I know that I was about to meet the love of my life.
At the time, Alaina Watkins lived in a historic house in a rural town in South Carolina with a beautiful garden and half a dozen chickens. I, like most San Diegans in their late 20s, lived in an apartment with a roommate, a small dog, no in-unit washer/dryer and a dishwasher that hit the refrigerator when you opened it. But hey, it was a couple blocks from the Bay!
We lived on opposite sides of the country and what seemed to be in opposite worlds. Beyond that, we were working together — Alaina was my boss at the time — and she was in a relationship with someone else.
From the outside nothing about this seemed like it would be a probable love story, and yet choosing to be together has been the most profound decision either of us has ever made.
Alaina Watkins and Brittany Mazal enjoying the snow in London during a trip there in February 2023. (Courtesy of Brittany Mazal)
We spent the next two years falling in love all over the world — London, New York, Costa Rica, Malaysia, Cambodia, Vietnam, New Zealand, Australia, Fiji, Norway, Czech Republic, Scotland and, of course, a stop at Taylor Swift’s The Eras Tour.
This past March, we packed Alaina’s belongings and shipped them from South Carolina to California. We’ve been building our shared home in North Pacific Beach ever since. Don’t worry, we have an in-unit washer/dryer now! Alaina is starting to build a new garden out front and as for me, I like to think that our dreams will continue to take root wherever we choose to plant them.