Tommy and I first met in the July of 2006 while I was working the receptionist desk at RESON. I was fresh out of college, a UCSB grad, and he was a project manager that had been living in Santa Barbara for 3 years. For me, working as a receptionist was a temporary fix for income. I was applying for full-time jobs and internships at various companies, while I sat at the front desk and answered the phones. Tommy and I bonded over the fact that I was investigating a position at Telelogic in Malmo. He was the only person I met who knew of the company. Little did I know he was Swedish.
The Telelogic gig was an IASTE internship that was available to college students / recent grads and for me it was an enticing opportunity to travel. Somewhere I have a piece of paper on which I had made a list for myself (I’m a BIG list person) and I had written, “Malmo! I want to go to Malmo.” Well, I applied for the internship and waited. In the meantime, my tenure as a receptionist at RESON resulted in a full time job offer as a Software Engineer within the company. I jumped on the offer. After I had already accepted the position with RESON, Telelogic called and requested an interview. I informed them that I had signed a contract with another company. No Malmo for me :(
In August 2006, Tommy and I had our innocent flirtations. We both admit (now) to liking each other and having crushes on one another during that time – but given that we worked together and that there was a big age difference between us, nothing ever sparked from nights out together. Copenhagen changed it all.
Five weeks into my new position at RESON, I was put up for an assignment with SAAB Underwater systems in Motala, Sweden. Having been a student traveler in former years, to get out to Sweden on the company dime was one hell of a trip for me. Many colleagues gripe about business travel, but for me it is always a thrilling and welcomed experience. I had a great time in Motala, and in fact my co-worker and I finished our project one day early. I ended up back at our Danish headquarters (RESON A/S) on Friday, September 29th 2006. It had not been part of my itinerary to be in Denmark that day. Coincidence #1.
I spent half a day at RESON in Denmark that Friday. I went around the company, was introduced to fellow employees, had lunch, etc. There was an All-Hands meeting that day, which I was able to sit in on. At that meeting it was announced that Tommy Sturesson had accepted a sales position with Reson Denmark and would be moving from Santa Barbara to Malmo by December 06. I think my heart fell a little when I heard that. Shortly before I took off from the office that day, Tommy, (who happened to be on business travel as well, coincidence #2) approached me and asked what I was doing that night. Me? Copenhagen? Friday night? No clue, I said. We exchanged numbers and he said he’d give me a buzz when he left work.
Well, that night was magical. Tommy and I went out for dinner and a few drinks and so started the beginning of our now 2 year relationship. I flew back to Santa Barbara on Saturday morning, conflicted over having met this great guy. So many things were not right: 1) he was due to leave Santa Barbara 2) we worked together 3) there was 16 years between us… but I just couldn’t shake how much I liked him and how much we had in common. Tommy returned to Santa Barbara a few days after I did, and we decided that we would pursue a relationship together however short lived it would be. (I think he ultimately won me over with his skills in the kitchen – considering I’m a hot pockets and pop tart girl myself).
Tommy managed to delay his move back to Sweden and we got a good year and some months together in Santa Barbara. He’s a traveling business man and between October 2006 and December 2007, he made five one month trips to Europe (November 06, January 07, March 07, June 07, October ’07) We also managed to squeeze in our own travels: Hawaii, Portland, Venice Beach, San Francisco, Jalama Beach, Los Angeles (Disney Opera House), Santa Monica, and Avila Beach. We moved in together in August 2007. In December 2007, Tommy had postponed his return to Sweden too long and was forced by Reson to move over to Europe. We threw him a Muppet Goodbye Party and he dressed as the Swedish chef.
Tommy as the Swedish Chef and I was his "Chocolate Mousse"
The next 9 months were difficult. From December ’07 to September ’08 we lived on opposite sides of the globe. Long distance is tough! We kept in touch over Skype and texted each other a lot. I visited Tommy for New Years in Sweden and he came out to Santa Barbara in May. We realized we couldn’t stay together unless one of us moved. I requested a transfer through RESON to work at our Danish headquarters. In June ’08, RESON came around and granted my request. We hashed out the details of my contract and on July 11th 2008, I signed the offer to work in Denmark. I was in Europe on business for 4 weeks during the summer, so Tommy and I got to celebrate together. I returned to Santa Barbara at the end of July with the intention of packing up, saying good-byes and preparing for my trip back to Scandinavia. I threw a Viking Goodbye Party and dressed like a true Santa Barbarian.
The Santa Barbarian Viking
I arrived in Denmark on September 16th 2008. Tommy picked me up at the airport. Since the lease on my apartment doesn’t start until October 1st, I’ve been given permission to work remotely from Malmo (where Tommy lives) until the end of the month. So here we are, celebrating our 2 year anniversary, in Malmo. Right back where we started and right were I’ve wanted to be. It’s the completion of one cycle and yet the beginning of many new things to come. What happens now? Only time will tell. I better make a new list!
