For the month of May, I am going to share the story of my relationship with Dylan and how to balance love and success.

Are you curious how I met my boyfriend, Dylan? It's actually quite a funny story….

A few years ago a friend of mine in the music industry invited me to a house party, which turned out to be a music video party for Trace Cyrus (Miley Cyrus’ brother). You can watch the music video here.

Before I begin the entire story, I need to offer you some background: I was newly single as I had just ended a long relationship; I wanted to go out and be social, and I definitely did not want to meet any guys. It was such an important time in my life because I was starting over and focusing on my personal needs as well as discovering who I really was as a person.

However, when I arrived at the party, my friend immediately told me “Oh my God, there is Dylan. You will love him, and you have to meet him because you two would be perfect together!” I gave her a you’ve-got-to-be-kidding-me glare and emphasized that I had just ended a relationship, and the last thing I wanted or needed was to date anyone. My friend was persistent and said she was going to say hi to him anyway, so she forced me over there, and I awkwardly introduced myself to him. It was extremely awkward because neither Dylan nor I had anything to say to each other, so we stood there in silence. It wasn’t long before my friend walked off to see her other friends that were there. I remember thinking that I wanted to have a fun night with my girl friends, but that I was now stuck with some stranger. Since we had nothing to talk about, my eyes were drawn to his full-sleeve tattoo, and I was surprised to see that his tattoos were mostly religious, containing various bible verses.

My dad has been a pastor my entire life, so I grew up a Christian, and my faith is a huge part of who I am today. So to break the silence, I said “Oh. Cool. I see a bible verse on your arm. Are you a Christian?” He replied, “Yes. I am.” I thought that was really awesome, so I asked what church he went to, and as it turned out, we both attended Reality LA. We had never seen each other before that party, but we were going to the same church, and chances are we had probably ran into each other before without even realizing it. Once the ice was broken, we had an immediate connection, and even though the last thing I wanted to do was be interested in someone, I couldn’t help but realize that this circumstance was unique. Therefore, as my title suggests, I am a firm believer that we don’t have authority over love’s timing; instead, love times us. I felt a strong connection to Dylan that I had never felt toward anyone else, and I didn’t know what to do about it.

The night’s events unfolded like this: We filmed the music video and were having such a good time. Dylan and I hung out the rest of the evening and at the end of the night, he tried to kiss me, but I said, “You’re cute and all, but I don’t kiss boys I don’t know.” He understood and proceeded to kiss me on the forehead then said, “This will hold you over for now. You’ll get to know me more really soon.” After those final words, he walked away, and all I could think to myself was that was really sexy…

After the party, I went home and told my roommate, “I think I met my soul mate tonight.”

Ever since I met Dylan, he has been my best friend on my journey, and we seriously fall deeper in love every day. Many of you have asked about our story and this was the beginning! Be sure to subscribe to my blog to learn more about maintaining a relationship while paving your road to success.

“The best love story is when you fall in love with the most unexpected person at the most unexpected time.”

My responses to three of your "Ask Larisa" questions:

1) Sarah B. asked:

"Hi Larisa! As a hairstylist, I find myself having multiple clients that arrive late to their hair appointment, and being the very generous and forgiving hairstylist I am, I never can bring myself to say something to my clients. My question is: Do you enforce a late fee? Or what do you say for a client to understand that they need to respect my time?"

LL: When I text my client the address to my salon, I always let them know about my policy, and that is if they are more than 20 min late, I will have to reschedule them because the rest of my day will fall back and it's not fair to the rest of my clients. Be straight up and honest with your clients and let them know your policy. If they respect you, they will respect your policy. Xo

2) Genna K. asked:

"Hi Larisa! I am a huge fan of yours - not only for your incredible hair art, but as a fellow hair stylist. I notice you really take time to LIVE (not just work). You post photos from vacations, free time, etc. This is something I struggle with. I have a problem saying "no" to clients and end up running myself into the ground and resenting my clients (which I shouldn't because it's my fault). I've tried having set days off and flat out saying "no", but somehow I get guilted into taking them. They always have excuses like that they're going out of town and need it done, or something big is coming up. I get booked weeks in advance but I end up just taking them on my day off because they always make me feel guilty by saying they'll "go somewhere else" and I don't trust other people with my clients!. I know I've created a monster by not being firm in the first place. But I just wonder how you deal with being so incredibly busy but still have time to live life? xo"

LL: It is absolutely necessary to put our needs first before our work. Give yourself a set schedule and stick to it and let your clients know those are the only days you are available, no ifs or buts ! If they really love your work they will wait for your next appointment, if they can't wait then that is their loss. Xo

3) Solmarena R. asked:

"Hi, I'm a huge fan of your work, and I've been wondering if there is anything to get rid of black hair. I've been dying it black since I was 13, and I am now 18. I've tried almost everything maybe there is a product that can help..."

LL: Grow your hair out virgin! Get haircuts every 3 months until you have completely cut off the black dye in your hair and NEVER dye your hair black again. In the end result, if you want to go lighter, you will spend lots of money on many sessions and hurt the integrity of your hair. Xo