JenniferA 28-year old Canadian-born, Arizona-raised, dog-loving tomboy who really likes shoes, especially high heels, went to college for math and ended up in politics, and is likely to clean you out of house and home if challenged to any bar game...or Scrabble.
Cameron
A 35-year old cat-loving computer programmer and all-around nerd who really likes Apple products, but also enjoys working at Microsoft, and is likely to be found drinking a cup of coffee, reading a book, listening to music, and browsing the internet...all at the same time.
Uh huh. So, how'd we meet and fall in love?
How We Met
It was a dark and stormy night... actually, that's not true. Let me try again. The sun rose one last time over a world on the brink of destruction... Er... that's also not true. She stood at the tower window, staring out over a dark forest, knowing her champion would come... Yeah, this is also completely false.Truth is, life isn't a fairy tale. Sometimes you meet the girl of your dreams where you least expect it. And sometimes when you meet the girl of your dreams, she's not available. This was one of those times.
Jenn and Cameron met one weekend at a neighborhood bar in Tempe. Cameron was immediately struck by her intelligence, wit, and beauty. But alas, she was spoken for! Cameron accepted that with dignity and grace (and a melancholy sigh).
But the two became friends. They would get together for the occasional dinner where they discussed math, novels, and politics. An outsider would say they reveled in nerdiness, which was true.
Months passed. Finally, a day came when Jenn was single. Cameron, being the polite and cautious man he is, did nothing. But he thought about her often. Jenn was the girl that understood him. She both pushed him to be a better person and forgave his shortcomings. She made him laugh despite his best efforts to the contrary.
In the end, Cameron had no choice in the matter. One night over drinks, he confessed he found her irresistable. She agreed - she was irresistable and she was pleased he had finally admitted it. They began dating in June of 2007. Their friends let out a sigh of relief...
Our EngagementFor Thanksgiving, Jenn took Cameron to Flagstaff where he met her family and her dog, Daisy. The dog decided Cameron was tolerable. Cameron considered this another great victory! (Side note: Jenn's family liked Cameron too.)
More time passed. Cameron and Jenn moved in together. They read books, watched movies, played board games, and rode bikes. They worked and went to school. And the entire time, they fell more deeply in love.
It came as a shock to everyone, but Cameron eventually finished school. With that out of the way, he began to think about his future. He loved Jenn more than he ever thought possible. He couldn't imagine a life without her by his side. As was often the case, he had no choice in what would happen next - he had to ask for her hand in marriage. He bought a ring.
But, life was not going to make things easy for our couple. Just weeks after buying the ring, Cameron got a call from Microsoft. He put his proposal plans on hold while he crammed for an interview, studying as if it were finals week once again. He interviewed and was offered a job. The catch was, he'd have to move to Redmond, Washington.
They talked it over and Jenn agreed to visit Seattle. As they were packing, Jenn noticed some discrepancies in their clothing choices. Her bag was full of jeans, t-shirts, sweatshirts, and sneakers. Cameron was ironing slacks and had packed a tie. This was more than enough to make Jenn suspicious - Cameron doesn't even know how to tie a tie. Something was amiss. She re-packed appropriately.
Our couple stayed on the 26th floor of a condo in downtown Bellevue. They did the touristy things couples do in Seattle- they went to Pike Place Market, rode in the amphibious tour bus that took them out on Lake Union, ate seafood, and photographed the Space Needle.
Finally, as the sun set over Bellevue on May 22, 2010, and they ate dinner atop a downtown skyscraper, Cameron told Jenn how he felt. He told her he loved her. He told her he couldn't imagine his life without her. He'd always been able to talk about anything at the drop of a hat, but he couldn't find words to describe what she meant to him. But if she would marry him, he'd spend his life showing her.
She said yes.
(Then he bought her dessert, which Jenn considered a great victory because Cameron doesn't like sweets and never eats dessert.)
