Real People in Love: Camilla & Damir

The first guest blogger that I'm featuring this week is Camilla from Champagne Bubbles. Champagne Bubbles is a wonderful blog and Camilla is darling (and she & Damir make such a gorgeous couple-can you imagine what their babies will look like?)!

So without further ado...

How old are you & Damir?

I am 22 and he is 21 but we're turning 23 and 22, respectively, this month! Our birthdays are 2 days apart :)

How did you meet?

We met in the athletic department on campus at U.C. Berkeley.

(Note from Cole: Camilla and Damir's story was originally posted on My Teacups in Peony and it was just too great to not include, even if it looks a tad long, I promise it's worth it.)

Let me start by saying that I was in NO way looking for a boyfriend. In fact, I was kind of opposed to the idea and thinking that it'd probably be okay if I was single forever.
I had seen this incredibly tall man once or twice walking around campus - clearly on the swim team (you know how swimmers just have that build?), and I did find him seriously gorgeous but I kind of brushed the thought out of my head and forgot about him. One of my best friends even took me aside and said, "Camilla, I really think you'd like this guy...you should go for it". But I didn't care. I was too emotionally exhausted from my previous relationship and focused on my school work so I didn't even give him the time of day. Besides, I was sure he had no idea who I was anyways.
One afternoon I was doing some work on my computer when I got a facebook friend request from this tall swimmer boy. I was so surprised I sat there for a few minutes wondering why he would ask ME to be friends and convinced myself that it was an accident and he thought I was someone else. I don't know what possessed me but I decided to send him a message. I wrote, "Hi!". That's all...what was I thinking? Why did I write that?? Within minutes I had a reply back from him and our little facebook messaging commenced. (I later found out he was sitting in front of the computer at the same time trying to figure out what to say to me when he got my first message). I found out that his English was so-so, that he came from a country called Slovenia, was 2 years behind me in school and indeed was a swimmer. After a brief flirtation, during which he said I looked like a mannequin (he meant model) and when we hung out tried to shake my hand goodbye, we kind of stopped talking, and I went about my life once again convinced that I would never be able to find the guy for me. Months went by and we only communicated once or twice.
Suddenly we started talking and messaging more and I would get beyond excited every time he'd contact me. While he was competing in the Olympics in Beijing we started to talk everyday. I stayed up until 4 am waiting for him to come online and he would stay in his hotel room to talk to me. It was like this great friendship was building and we really enjoyed one another's conversation. But still, nothing had ever been said that suggested we had more than platonic relationship (even though if a girl wrote on his facebook wall I would get completely jealous and maybe even try to translate it into english - I know, crazy girl).
One day, I just blurted out that I missed him and I knew it was weird because we barely knew each other. I couldn't wait till he came home. He said he missed me too and he was so excited to come home to me. I remember showing my sister his picture and I said "I don't know, I just have a feeling about him. There's something special about him". We started realizing that we had some really random and important things in common, especially our views on family and religion. I still didn't know what was going to happen when he came back but I could...not...wait. The day we were both back in Berkeley, he walked 25 minutes up a giant hill to my work and we sat outside nervously talking. Since that moment we've been inseparable.
1 year and 3 months later we are the best of friends. We do everything together and we really enjoy every minute of it. We like to cook, dance in the middle of campus, build forts (see my blog if you don't believe me), and even play video/computer games together. The language barrier can be frustrating sometimes but it also provides many hilarious moments for us both. I can't believe that I continue to fall more and more in love with him everyday that I spend with him and I actually feel like I might explode some day. I was lucky enough to visit his family in Slovenia and Bosnia and get a taste of how he grew up.
We're waiting until after he's done with college and probably the next Olympics in London to move in together and get married (I secretly wish we could just get married now), but I very much feel like he is my soulmate and my partner already. I cannot wait to start a family with him because I know he's gonna be the best father ever. I don't know where I would be without him, and I am so glad that even though I resisted for months, God stepped in and helped me to open my heart to this perfect man.

What is the toughest part of being in a committed relationship?

For us the toughest part has proven to be learning to deal with each other's quirks and little issues. For example, I'm kinda crazy about keeping a tidy and clean apartment and he can play video games all day everyday if I let him. Then again, those little arguments can be fun sometimes.

What is the best part?

The best part is being able to spend everyday with my best friend; the one person who really gets my sense of humor and who I can tell anything and everything to; the person I have the most fun with in the world. I feel so completely blessed that I get to call this man mine...it's actually hard for me to believe.

What is the best day the two of you have spent together?

I struggle to find just one best day...one of my favorites would have to be the day we drove from Bosnia to Croatia. It was just so fun to be in a car with him for that long in a new place. We got to talk for hours and hours and hours and got to know each other even more (even though we had been dating for almost a year at the time). We stopped at little shops and got lots of yummy treats. We finally made it to Croatia, got on a car ferry, then drove an hour and a half across a gorgeous island to the hotel we were staying at. and it was perfect. it was a dream.

What makes you different from other couples?

I guess what could make is different is that we love to play together. We play board games together (we get way competitive with Yahtzee), we play tennis and video games, we slow dance at night in the middle of campus...random, silly things like that.

We're also truly best friends. and we really really LIKE each other.

What is the most essential element of making it?

I think just that. Love is wonderful and important but I think to make it -- and we're not engaged yet or anything so I could be totally wrong -- but I think its very very important to really LIKE the other person; to truly ENJOY their company...not just the lovey dovey part.

What are your hopes for the future?

I hope for many things in the future. A magical marriage to Damir (not sure about the wedding part though), two babies (he wants twins -- is he crazy?). I hope to play board games and tennis and video games and slow dance in the middle of the night forever and ever and ever.

Anything else the world needs to know about love?

Do it. Love someone. Let yourself be open to it and when you find it, don't let go of it.