Christine Loftus didn't believe in love at first sight. But the moment she stepped off a plane in Honolulu four years ago and saw Michael Feinholz, she knew she was going to marry him.

"I absolutely knew the absolute second I set my eyes on him," said Loftus, 39, a geographical information systems analyst. "I don't know what it was. I think it was his cute legs."

Feinholz, 44, was a college friend of Loftus' boss back in San Diego. He had sent Feinholz to meet Loftus at the airport.

The two hit it off right away.

"He gave me this big lei and then we went to lunch," Loftus said. "And that was it."

Loftus had been going to graduate school in San Diego. Before that, she had lived in Hilo for about 10 years, earning her bachelor's degree in geography from the University of Hawai'i-Hilo and raising her daughter, Marie.

After the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, Loftus' daughter begged her to move back to the Islands. So Loftus sent her daughter to live with her father on the Big Island and began looking for a job.

She didn't expect to find a husband, too.

"I had pretty much given up," she said.

For about a year, Loftus, who lived in Kuli'ou'ou, would meet Feinholz at his place near Waimea Bay. They would drink cocktails on the beach at night and surf on the weekends.

"It was like a teenage affair, totally," Loftus gushed.

About a year into dating, Loftus' daughter moved to O'ahu and they both found a rental in Hale'iwa.

The couple share a lot of similar interests, including a love for surfing and hiking and a passion for traveling. But what has really made their relationship work, Loftus said, is common values, beliefs and political views.

"We're similar in that intellectual way," she said.

Three years after meeting at the airport, on Valentine's Day 2005 — Loftus' birthday — Feinholz proposed.

First, he gave her a mug he had painted as a ceramic store that read, "Happy Birthday." Then he pulled out an engagement ring. Loftus made him drop to his knee.

She had no idea. He even picked out the ring himself.

"He totally did that on his own," she raved.

The couple originally had wanted to have the wedding in New York City. (She's from New Jersey; he's from Illinois.) But once Loftus visited the bustling city, she knew planning it would be too overwhelming. So they decided to get hitched on the North Shore.

On Aug. 25, they exchanged vows on the beach at the Ke 'Iki Beach Bungalows in front of 60 guests.

They honeymooned in New Zealand, driving a camper and surfing all around the northern island. They both consider that experience the best thing about married life so far.

Though they were dating for four years, marriage — or the events leading up to the wedding — changed life for Loftus.

Her daughter, now 18 and a student at Kapi'olani Community College, moved out. And Loftus started a new job.

"Basically, everything changed," Loftus said, laughing. "It's like a second childhood."

The couple is enjoying their newfound alone time. And they're not even thinking about adding anyone new to their relationship just yet.

"No way, no kids," Loftus said, laughing. "We're having way too much fun right now."

Reach Catherine E. Toth at ctoth@honoluluadvertiser.com.