How It All Began

Eleven years ago on this day, Jeff was sick.

I remember it well...

We were students at a small international university in Jerusalem. It was the middle of our semester, and Jeff got sick. So I made him a small card and put it in his mailbox to wish him a happy St. Patrick's Day and a speedy recovery. This was not unusual behavior for me...throughout our time there, I had made little cards for some of the other students for various occasions, so it didn't seem like a big deal. Except...

Jeff wrote back. And not only did he write back, he wrote a most elegant letter, rolled it up like a scroll, tied it with a ribbon, and hand-delivered it to me in the dining hall with other students around...who quickly started teasing us. I fled to my room to read his note...and then, just to be polite, I wrote back! Well, Jeff is a pretty polite guy, too...so he had to write back. And then...well...it just never stopped!

It was only a few short weeks later that we had "the talk" and realized that we both had strong feelings for each other...only...well...there were a few complications. I won't go into all of that; but suffice it to say that in early October of 1996, on Catalina Island in the Pacific Ocean, half a world away from Jerusalem, Jeff asked me to be his wife, and I said yes.

And to think it all started because Jeff was sick on St. Patrick's Day...

Thanks, Schmu, for the wild ride that these past 11 years have been. I knew my life with you would be anything but ordinary, and you've proven me right! :)