Welcome to our exciting world
Thank you for stopping by our site. We are the Marc & Fariza, the husband-and-wife team behind Mismatched Duo. This blog is a collection of our travels around the globe. Together, we have been traveling the globe for over 12 years, which is about the length of time we have known each other. Our quest for unique travel experiences has taken us across five continents. Each new experience has made us thirstier for more travel and adventures. We have created memories that are reflected in thousands and thousands of photos and videos, which have taken up an entire hard drive, multiple cellular devices, multiple iPads, and multiple cameras (oh goodness, yes those too lol). We have created a lifetime of travel memories that will forever have a place in our hearts. We wish to ‘travel more,’ and we hope to inspire others to do the same.
@mismatchedduo
Marc and I both reside in beautiful California, aka “The Golden State”. Marc is a California native, with German background. He has lived in California his entire life. I am originally from the exotic twin islands of Trinidad & Tobago, aka “T&T”. For those with an interest in geography, Trinidad & Tobago is located in the southernmost part of the West Indies. Caribbean. Unlike Marc and previous to our meeting, I have been fortunate to have taken up residency in other states, New York and Florida.
Opposites Attract
Although we share an equal love for travel, it is no secret that we are opposites attract. Our zest for life is where we find common ground! Our views quite frequently conflict, and we do not always see things eye-to-eye. By the grace of God, we have been able to develop from the stigma and complexity of opposites attract. Our biggest champion is our faith in God. Had it not been for God’s plan, we would have never found each other. Destiny did us both a great big favor, and we can always thank God for HIS hands in that.
For the most part, Marc and I share common values with regard to life in general. We tend to place gratitude before complaints, and we believe that is what makes us so special. As travel partners, we have been able to curate some of the most luxurious, yet humbling, travel experiences. Our travels have allowed us the opportunity to gain insight and wisdom. There is a great depth of ‘take-away’ from visits to other countries, which has improved our understanding of other cultures. It is what we call the ‘wealth in travel’.
“And the purpose of life, after all, is to live it, to taste experience to the utmost, to reach out eagerly and without fear for newer and richer experience.”
– Eleanor Roosevelt
A Facebook Love Story
Marc & I met on Facebook by chance or as I would like to call it, a case of mistaken identity. There is humor in how we met. It was at a time when you didn’t worry too much about privacy, unlike now. At the time, my Facebook page was public. Somehow, Marc came across my profile picture and sent me a friend request. I remember being in the ladies’ room (lol) at work, when I received his friend request. I saw his last name and didn’t think twice to accept his friend request, because my son-in-law’s last name is spelled almost the same. I thought to myself, “Oh, this must be a relative of Danny’s.” Well, as days and months went on, Marc would always like my photos, posts and would comment on just about anything I posted (hahaha). Honestly, I did not think much of it except that I thought he was being sweet.
Mistaken Identity
A few months had passed, and my daughter made a comment to me about Marc saying that her friends and her thought he was my secret admirer. I started laughing because I did not think so and may have not noticed all the attention, he was giving me. I then said, “But isn’t he Danny’s family?” My daughter just about busted out laughing. She said, “Mom, why would you think that?” I was like, “He has Danny’s last name.” It became the joke of the day. Somehow, I did not recognize that Marc’s last name was missing the “s” at the end. Oops! (lol) After much laughing, I said to my daughter that he seemed like a gentleman who is just trying to be nice. I also said that his comments did not seem harmful, so I would keep him as a Facebook friend. A decade plus later, I still laugh out loud.
Saddleback Church
Lake Forest, CA
In early 2010, I posted an invitation to Saddleback Church (my church) Easter Celebration and 30th Anniversary, on Facebook. Marc saw my post and commented that he would like to attend. I blew him off, because I thought he was just trying to be nice but wasn’t seriously going to attend. He lived a good distance in northern California, so I thought there was no way he would come to Southern California just to attend church service. I thought he was just bluffing. I did not pay him much mind and thought he would forget. Well, the week before the event, I re-posted my invite, on Facebook, as a reminder to anyone who would be interested. Marc responded to my post with this in all caps, “FARIZA I WOULD LIKE TO ATTEND.” I just about busted out laughing. (hahaha) Honestly, I felt so bad, because I intentionally blew him off. Then, he uses all caps to get my attention (lol).
Well, lucky that I had some extra tickets, so I politely replied to Marc’s comment and told him that I had one for him. Marc and I made arrangements for him to drive to Southern California the Saturday of Easter weekend to pick up his ticket. While I am very cautious and never give out my phone number and address to anyone that I don’t know, I felt comfortable giving it to him. I followed my good ‘godly feelings’ that I could trust him. When Marc drove to Southern California to pick up his ticket from me at my place, our eyes met for the first time…it was love at first sight! For me, after a broken heart that lingered longer than it should have, it was exciting to feel that way again. Marc took me to a fabulous lunch in Dana Point, one of my favorite California cities. Then, I took him sightseeing to some of my favorite places and beaches in DP. We then made arrangements for him to pick me up on Sunday morning so we could attend church service together. And the rest is history in the making 12 plus years strong. Praise God!
Meet Our Small Family
Marc has never had children of his own. I have two daughters and two sons-in-law. We have a sweet 3-lb teacup Chihuahua, named Bella, (update since this post) and a sweet and playful 4-lb Paperanian (Papillon and Pomeranian mix), named Kai. They are both just the sweetest, caring and lovable fur babies. We lost our other 3-lb teacup Chihuahua, named Scrappy Doo, in July 2018. (RIP, Scrappy aka “Papa.”) At the time, it was probably one of the saddest things we had experienced together. We do not have any grand children at the moment, but we have the most adorable grand dogs named Izzy Boo, Teddy and Jake. A few years ago, we lost one of our grand dogs. His name was Marley James. (RIP, Marley.)
(Update since this post)
In Spring 2021, I became the happiest grandmother to the sweetest granddaughter. She is such a joy and blessing to us all.
Well, we hope you have enjoyed learning about us. If nothing else, we hope to offer some hope to those out there who are searching for love. God’s timing and His plans are always the best! Give love a chance and put all your trust and faith in Him. We also hope to encourage others, while we are not the perfect couple, to turn to God when the going gets tough. Invest in each other by investing in travel and create memories for a lifetime. We hope you will follow us and comment to learn more about our travel life. Hopefully, you can join us on one of our future trips.
Thanks for stopping by and have a truly blessed day!
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