The Chabohole Story

On Saturday, September 30, 2000, fate stepped in at Hollywood Park in Lansing, IL—a neighborhood arcade in the south suburbs of Chicago.

Tommy was just hanging out with a couple of his friends, trading in tickets and tokens, when across the room he spotted her. A beautiful Latina woman who instantly caught his eye.

It was love at first sight, but there was one problem—she wasn’t alone. Izzy was with a friend. Not wanting to interrupt, Tommy called in backup, asking one of his buddies to strike up a conversation with Izzy’s friend so he could finally make his move.

With a nervous smile and a racing heart, Tommy asked Izzy for her number. She handed it over, and he quickly stuffed it in his pocket…along with a pile of arcade tickets and coins. Panicked that he might have lost it, he asked her again before she left, just to be sure.

The love connection all started with a number—Tommy, armed with his spotty AT&T cell phone and trusty pager, living in his college apartment. Even with distance between them, nothing could keep them apart.

This was before smartphones, before Instagram, before Facebook—back when social media wasn’t even a thing. Just two people, one phone number, and a spark that never faded.

Over the next 25 years, Tommy and Izzy built a life together full of love, laughter, and adventures.

In their 20s, they bought their first home 🏡In their 30s, they tied the knot 💍 with nearly 100 family and friends at a resort in Punta Cana 🌴. Now, they’re still leveling up—traveling the world, becoming VIPs at all-inclusive resorts, and raising a lively pack of Chihuahuas 🐶.

From bowling leagues and championship games 🎳, to Carnival cruises 🚢, to world travel and unforgettable moments, Tommy and Izzy have turned a chance meeting at an arcade into a lifetime of memories.6