June 13, 2015
JAMIE & ALEX
Lancaster, PA
We're getting hitched!
Meister's Take
The story of Jamie Finch and Alex Meister actually started not far from where they live today. It was New Years Eve 2006 and they were celebrating at what is now ranked the #1 douchiest bar in the NYC (http://nyc.barstoolsports.com/random-thoughts/25-douchiest-bars-in-nyc/). They were seniors in college with too few responsibilities and too many friends who were always up to have a good time. Unsurprisingly, they recognized these fun-loving traits in each other quite early, and agreed it would be in everyone's best interest to meet up when they both moved to Charlotte, NC shortly after graduation.
It was the summer of 2006 when Jamie and Alex brought their aspirations, antics and appetite for life down to the Queen City. They became good friends and always had a great time when gallivanting around the city together, though at this point in time things were mostly platonic. I think if you were to characterize this period of their individual lives, the Facebook status "complicated" probably sums things up... A few years passed and being a born & bread Yankee, Alex started to set his eyes on the Big Apple. Meanwhile Jamie was flourishing in the city she started to call home. With 3 years under his belt below the Mason Dixon, Alex decided he couldn't resist the call of the North any longer and packed his bags for SoHo.
It would be another year or so before the two picked up where they had left off. Jamie had been over-served one evening in April of 2010 and unbeknownst to her, she texted Alex on his 26th birthday “just to catch up”. In the interest of time we'll provide the cliffnotes version for this part of the story: Jamie books a flight to NYC -> unforgettable weekend together in Amagansett ensues -> severe post-weekend withdrawal and depression -> next flight booked -> repeat. And so it was, Jamie too had caught the Big Apple bug. While they were waiting for her to move North, Jamie and Alex would exchange frequent trips between Charlotte and NYC. It was evident that they were hooked on each other and they were both thrilled that it wouldn't be long before Jamie called the city her new home.
Jamie & Alex spent the next 4 years getting swept up in all the city has to offer a young couple with an insatiable appetite for new and exciting adventures. A trip or three to Anguilla, the BVIs, Costa Rica, Hawaii and Maine doesn’t hurt either, and it wasn’t long before they were ready to move in together and take things to the next level. Once they had determined that neither of them had any freakish habits or tendencies that could make cohabitation problematic, Alex thought he better lock-it-down before someone else caught on to what a real keeper he'd managed to find. With the help of Jamie's best friend, Alex popped the big question on April 27, 2014 in Madison Square Park, and the newly engaged couple spent the gorgeous day celebrating with their parents across the city. They were officially on their way to forever and couldn't be happier…
Finch's Version
I’d love to say that my first interaction with Alex made me think, “What a superb young gentleman. I believe a courtship with this handsome fellow may perhaps present itself.” But it was actually more like “Woah, he’s moving to Charlotte after college? I’m definitely going to try to make out with this guy when we both live there!” (Sorry Dad). It was December 31st of 2005, New Years Eve. I was attending an event, arranged by the college friends of my high school friend. The event was held at “The Joshua Tree”, an 80’s bar in New York City. It was my Senior year of college and I planned to live in “The Queen City” following my graduation from Elon University. Coincidentally, so was the hot guy from Cornell who I was just introduced to. My previous interactions with Ivy League guys had thus far led me to believe that they were on the same level as pickles – sour, slimey and something I prefer to avoid. But when I met Alex Meister that evening, I was willing to make an exception. While I can’t remember what we spoke about, it was enough to make me arrive to the spot in which I type these words. Yes, amidst the bedazzled fanfare, sequence covered noise makers and smooth vocal stylings of Lionel Richie, the “FinchMeister” story began.
9 months later, I was on my way to the “Labor Day” party at Alex’s apartment in Charlotte. Within minutes of arriving, I learned that he was more than just a pretty face. He was incredibly smart and had me laughing all evening. Unfortunately, that’s where the story pauses. What we had was a “right thing, wrong time” situation, and being 22 years old, I was very ok with that. About 2 and a half years after that night, I texted Alex to ask if he planned to go out that evening. He told me that he was in NYC and would be moving there in a few weeks. I don’t know what it was, but something in me said “this isn’t the last time you’ll see him” (Spoiler alert: it wasn’t).
Just over 1 year later, I was returning to my apartment after a Friday night out and decided to watch tv prior to heading to bed. For some incredibly odd reason, I thought “I want to text Alex Meister”. We hadn’t spoken in the longest time but hey, why not? I sent a text saying, “You should come back to visit Charlotte.” To which he responded, “No, you should visit NYC.” So I did what any rational person would do. I waited until I was void of inebriation so that I could analyze the situation and decide that it would be unwise to follow such an impulse. Nah, just kidding! I woke up the following morning to a flight confirmation on my laptop screen. Next to that was a view of my Facebook homepage, displaying a list of “Happy Birthday” messages written yesterday on the wall of one Alex Meister…..whoops.
In my defense, I was in need of an “adventure” outside of life in Charlotte and I’d already decided that I would move to NYC along with Katie Gerlach, my best friend since 5th grade. But Alex didn’t know that yet.
My visit to NYC is the primary catalyst behind the fact that you’re reading this. The weekend resulted in a trip to the Hamptons in Alex’s 1972 Ford LTD baby blue convertible (“The Hooptie”). That Saturday began with an 11am trip to the beach and ended with a 4am beach bonfire. One would think the weekend would’ve been awkward or forced. Afterall, we hadn’t really spoken since he moved to NYC. But it was anything but that. (In fact the only awkward part of the trip was texting him the morning after I booked my flight to say “oh yeah, happy birthday...”). It was that weekend I knew - this was the guy I wanted to spend the rest of my life with.
8 months later, I was officially a New Yorker. And I’m sure you know how the rest of the story goes. 3 months later we finally shared I Love You’s, unafraid of coming on too strong (we are really good at being stubborn). 2 years later, we moved in together. And 1 year after that, he proposed….(I said yes). And in a few months, we’ll make this thing official in front of you and all of the other people we love. Let’s party.
OUR STORY
