Life Changing Cheese

Her Story
There's no doubt the people we meet in this life shape, to some extent, who we become. This story is about the beginning of a relationship that would forever change my life.

Once upon a time in a land called Bristol Farms...

Bristol Farms is a gourmet grocery store a few blocks from my apartment in Beverly Hills. I don't shop there often because it's expensive, but once in a while I treat my foodie soul to some divine cheese or fresh seafood. I always tried to look my best when I went there, because I had this weird feeling that one day, I would meet a guy in Bristol Farms and fall in love ... or in lust at least. On this particular day however, I'd just come from working at Boule, a pastry/chocolate shop. My hair was thrown up in a messy ponytail and my crisp white button up shirt was covered in coffee stains. Why then did I dare enter this land of possible love? Simple. I was craving really good goat cheese.

Of course, the one day I venture into the hoity-toity store not looking my best, I spot a hot-in-an-edgy-sort-of-way guy by the salad bar and think ... "why did I come in here looking like a train wreck?" I walk over to scrutinize the case of glorious cheese when I hear "what's the difference between fromage blanc and creme fraiche?" As I turn to enlighten the confused shopper I see ... it's the hottie from the salad bar. I flash my most flirtatious smile, tell him the difference and ask him what he's making. Innocent conversation ensues until he tells me he doesn't live in LA, at which point I lose interest and head over to get some low sodium turkey. Somehow, he ends up in the deli line next to me so, to avoid awkward silence, we make small talk. Just as I'm starting to feel foolish for thinking this guy had a hidden agenda when he inquired about the cheese, he asks me out. What follows is a look of shock on his face that tells me he's not normally so bold. I hand over my business card, thinking "hey ya never know," and two days later he picked me up for sushi.

I'm almost cancelled the date. I was tired and hung-over from Saturday night in Hollywood. For the first time, illustrious Los Angeles had me feeling jaded. I was sick of meaningless dates with egotistical actors and money driven businessmen. Derrek was a breath of fresh mountain air straight from Aspen, Colorado where he lived. He talked all night and I just listened. He talked about things that mattered, things of substance. The Oscars were on but he had no interest in watching them. Derrek grew up in Beverly Hills and was over it. He was exactly what I needed that night; someone to remind me LA is not the center of the universe ... that there's so much more to explore while we're here on earth.

The next two weeks were surreal. We went to Disney Land, took a ride in a hot air balloon, and rode on his motorcycle. He invited me to Aspen and a few months later, I went. After a week in Colorado, we flew to Hawaii ... and two months later, he moved back to LA. Since then, he's introduced me to things like Transcendental Meditation, Crystal Singing bowls, archery and The Monroe Institute. I've taken him to some of the best restaurants in LA and shown him that butternut squash and Brussels sprouts can be amazing when prepared right. I helped him open his heart to love and he helped me open myself to unconventional thoughts and a world that exists far beyond the material and physical one.

Together, we're karmalizing our lives and hope you'll join us.