1. Where/how did you meet?
The short answer is at a gym in Northern Virginia where we both worked out.
2. How long have you known each other?
We met in February 2000 but I think we’d eyed each other at the gym well before that….Mike was 28 and I was 26 when we met.
3. How long after you met did you start dating?
Our first date was sometime in February 2000. I don’t remember specific dates but do remember that we agreed to meet up at a restaurant for dinner. Following dinner, we watched a hockey game at a sports bar. From that very first date, I was getting an introduction to the hockey sports enthusiast that Mike still is to this very day! So, why did I “meet” him at a restaurant, you ask. Well, although, I was pretty interested in him, I wasn’t about to have him pick me up at my apartment and know where I lived ‘til I knew a little more about just who I was going out with…after all, he could’ve been a psycho or something. Ha, ha, ha.
4. How long did you date before you were engaged?
We dated exclusively for about 1-1/2 years and got engaged in September 2002.
5. How long was your engagement?
About 8 months. We had moved from Northern Virginia to Northern California while we were engaged, but returned to Virginia in May 2003 to have our wedding ceremony.
6. How long have you been married?
About 5-1/2 years.
7. How many people came to your wedding reception?
I think around 120 – 130.
8. Where was your wedding?
We got married at a church in Northern Virginia.
9. How many people were in your bridal party?
My sister-in-law Kimberly was my matron of honor. My friends Hillary, Tresha and Jennifer and Mike’s sister Karin were all the bridesmaids. Mike’s friend Doug was the Best Man. Mike’s brothers Doug and Derek and my brother, Greg, and Derek, a long-time hockey buddy and former roommate were the groomsmen. We did not have a flower girl in our wedding party.
Oh, you mean you just wanted the quick number in our bridal party: 10.
10. Are you still friends with them all?
Considering that a majority of them are family – well, absolutely. The others, the non-family ones, are all on the East Coast. And, while we are certainly still friends with them all, we’ve lost some touch with them over the years while we’ve been in California.
11. Did your spouse cry during the ceremony?
No, he did not. But, I sure did. There were a handful of sweet moments when my dad, who was also the officiator of the ceremony, and I exchanged our handkerchiefs, passing them back and forth wiping tears and yes, even exchanged a little snot between our runny noses.
12. Most special moment of your wedding day?
Walking down the aisle with my dad, having so many of our family participate in the ceremony, exchanging our vows, our first kiss and the announcement that I was now officially Mrs. Michael….it was all very special.
13. Where did you go on your honeymoon?
We went on a 10-day trip to Hawaii and island hopped between Kona and Maui. The best part about our time in Hawaii was that we stayed in 5 star hotels every day, like the JW Marriott, and flew first-class on all the flights. Oh, and did I mention that all of it was FREE too? Yeah, maybe that was really the best part; because Mike travels so much for his work, he wracks up tons of airline miles and reward points every year so we simply cashed in a bunch of points and miles and enjoyed a truly first-class honeymoon at no personal expense!
14. If you were to do your wedding over, what would you change?
Invite more people. The church could accommodate a great deal of people, but the location of the reception could only accommodate around 130 people. I would choose a larger reception venue if I had to do it over again because there were quite a few people that I simply couldn’t invite.
15. What side of the bed do you sleep on?
I sleep on the right side of the bed. But, if you ask Mike, he’d tell you that I sleep all over the bed. I usually start out on the right side of the bed then sometime in the night, I end up gravitating into the middle and eventually over onto his side.
16. What size is your bed?
California King. And, yes, a California King is larger than your standard King-sized bed. Everything in California is done bigger so I guess it’s only fitting that we Californians would also have our own bigger version of a King-sized bed.
17. Greatest strength as a couple?
We enjoy a lot of the same activities such as: hiking, travel, camping, biking. Granted most of these extracurricular interests have fallen by the wayside since the twins came along, but hey, we still love these activities and spending time together.
We also are both very tenacious and focused so when things get tough in life, we don’t give up. We also share the same faith and share a lot of similar views in politics, parenting, life goals, etc.
18. Greatest challenge as a couple?
I am probably a terrible roommate sometimes. By that I mean, I like a clean house and spend a lot of time doing housework…there has been more than one occasion where I’ve been flitting around from one thing to the next after the twins have gone to bed, straightening things back up at the end of the day, and lo and behold, I end up cleaning up something that Mike wasn’t finished with or something like that. Whenever I inadvertently do toss something or clean something up that he wasn’t finished with and I see that it has irked him, I apologize and try to be a little cutesy about it by saying “Well, y’know what they say ‘Cleanliness is next to Godliness’”. Ha, ha, ha. I suppose the fact that Mike hasn’t strangled me yet over my housekeeping and organization, is a testament to his love for me. Ha, ha, ha.
Another great challenge in our relationship is Mike's travel schedule. As a geologist, he travels alot for work, so sometimes I find myself feeling much like a single-mom.
19. Who literally pays the bills?
That would be Mike. We used to be a DINK family. Y’know dual income, no kids family. Once the twins were born, I decided to be a stay-at-home mommy. Mike has done an awesome job taking care of our family and supporting us for the past 3 years. He rocks!
20. What did you dance your first dance to?
Sarah McLaughlin’s “I Love You".
Here's a sample of the first few verses:
I have a smile
Stretched from ear to ear
To see you walking down the road
We meet at the lights
I stare for a while
The world around us disappears
21. Describe your wedding dress.
Strapless, off the shoulder bustier-style dress, form-fitted with beading and large, flowing bodice and train. Here’s a picture of the dress – this is actually one of my favorite wedding photos of Mike and me.
22. What kind of flowers did you have at your wedding?
I forget actually, but remember that the flowers were an assortment of white and plum colors.
23. Are your wedding bands engraved?
Mine isn't. Mike's is.
