How It Happened

The Beginning... 

We met a number of times before we went on a first date.  The first time we met was at Marty’s friends, Paul and Laurel’s house warming party in Walnut Creek in August of 2005.  Jessica, Jen’s sister, had just moved in next door and she wanted to meet her new neighbors, but needed some company so she brought along Jen and her boyfriend at the time.

Marty says that he "knew” right then & there during the introductions that there was something special about Jen.  Since the timing was bad Marty just attempted to make conversation with her…just in case.

Over the next year or so, we would run into each other every few months at events with common friends.  We could both tell there were some sparks there, but the timing was never quite right.

In November  of 2006, we were both having lunch meetings, randomly at the same restaurant.  Marty saw Jessica walking by and flagged her over.  She told him that her sister was with her and asked if he wanted to say hi.  Marty had recently gotten back from an extended vacation and was very excited to show them both his photos.  After talking for a little while he asked Jen for her e-mail address.  When he got back to the office he sent her the photos.   When Jen received the link she couldn’t believe that Marty really expected her to look at 200+ photos.  After going through a few she continued on, enjoying the photos and his comments about them.  She finally felt like she had a little insight on Marty.

After some encouragement from Paul and Laurel,  we met again.  The following weekend we “ran” into each other at another of Jessica’s complex's party.  Later, we would both admit that we went specifically to see the other one.  Following the party, we talked over e-mail, instant message, and phone.  Marty tried numerous times to have a more formal meeting, but with the holidays being so busy we didn’t get a chance to see each other until New Years Eve, but  by then the chemistry was brewing.

The NYE party took place, once again, at Jessica’s complex.  We got to loosen up, talk about the last few weeks, and joke about how confident Marty must have been to send her 200 photos to look at.  We had a great time and vowed to do it again. At midnight we kissed while the ball dropped. Our friends did a little TiVo magic and made the ball drop again, so we could keep reliving the moment. After that special night, it was time to go on an official date.

Our first date was a San Jose Sharks hockey game.  We were so excited to see each other that we forgot to pay for parking and missed the first period because we had to walk back to pay.  As we watched the game over pretzels and beer, Marty got to explain what a tough sport hockey is (he plays), and we had a really great time together.

Our second date was at La Fondue, a wonderful romantic restaurant (thanks Mark!).  We sat next to each other, cooked together, and got to know each other.  Jen remembers her face hurt from smiling so much.  

After that, we spent the next year and a half going between each other's homes in Walnut Creek and Fremont, rarely spending a night apart.

Exit Glacier, Enter Engagement

In late July 2008, we went to Alaska for ten days with Jess and Ted. We traveled by planes, trains, automobiles, and boats. Throughout the trip Marty kept the engagement ring in his backpack unbeknownst to everyone else. On the second to last day, another cold and rainy day, we decided to take the car, split up from Jess and Ted, and go exploring.  Soon, Marty found a beautiful turn out that provided a view out onto Exit Glacier and decided that this was the place.

Marty got out of the car and took a few pictures.  Jen stayed inside where it was warm.  She refused to get out of the car.  She was tired of being cold and wet, and besides, she could see the glacier just fine from the window.  Marty tried a few more times to coax her out.  True to character, she was stubborn and wouldn't get out of the car.  He came around and opened her car door.  With the glacier in the background he got down on one knee and popped the question. We were engaged in the 2nd parking stall from the right.  

First Date: January 4th, 2007 ~ San Jose Sharks game

Engagement: July 24th, 2008 ~ Exit Glacier. Seward, AK

Wedding: September 5th, 2009 ~ Monterey, CA