HOW WE FIRST MET:

Scene 1: Fall 1996, Bluphies Diner in Madison, WI Jeff was cozied up in the corner of a booth with his girlfriend. I was [...]]]> Entered for show on March 10, 2012 in Castro Valley

HOW WE FIRST MET:

Scene 1: Fall 1996, Bluphies Diner in Madison, WI
Jeff was cozied up in the corner of a booth with his girlfriend. I was on my first date with some other guy. My date knew Jeff and the others at his table, and we joined them.

Scene 2: Summer 1997, Going Away Party in Madison, WI
First date guy was moving to NYC. Jeff and I were both at his going away party and crossed paths in the back room with all the stuff that was being sold/foisted on us guests. We began discussing the electric keyboard set up in the corner (Jeff probably revealed that he had played keyboards in the 2-person band he and his best friend had in high school) and the next thing you know, we were busy stuffing the give-away clothes to make an effigy of our host which we then sprawled across the keyboard and surrounded by as many empty wine bottles as we could find. We were just talking and laughing and completely oblivious to anyone else at the party for that hour, but then we left the room, found our respective dates and didn’t think twice about it.

Scene 3: February 1998, Wine Tasting Fundraiser, Madison, WI
I’d been working in the library all day, was by myself and almost didn’t go, but my dad had bought me a ticket to the fundraiser for a local radio station I had been volunteering at. I went to grab a truffle from the champagne table on my way out and spotted Jeff. “Jeff, right?” was my brilliant opening line. As we chatted and exchanged contact information, Jeff’s friend told me that there’d be a party soon to celebrate Jeff’s birthday that I should come to. “Oh, my birthday’s coming up too. When’s yours?” “March 1st” “What year?” “1969″ “Me too.” I can still see Jeff’s eyebrows shoot up in surprise while his mouth hangs open for a second and his hands flare out to his sides. He almost doubles over when he says, “Really? No way. I’ve never met anyone else with my birthday before.” We decide to throw a joint birthday party, which gives us a great excuse to be constantly in contact. We go out on Valentine’s Day, but the afternoon feels so low key and natural that I don’t even think of it as a date until I talk to one of my housemates afterward. Two weeks later the party is a grand success, we are both clearly single, and we share our first kiss.

That’s how we met.
We’re about to celebrate our 10th wedding anniversary.
We still make each other laugh.

HOW WE FIRST MET:Duane and I met when I was 15 and a Sophmore at Castro Valley High School. We attended the same church and I had just [...]]]> Entered for show on March 10, 2012 in Castro Valley

HOW WE FIRST MET:Duane and I met when I was 15 and a Sophmore at Castro Valley High School. We attended the same church and I had just started going to the Sunday evening Luther League and I noticed this tall blonde cute guy with peach fuzz cheeks and bright blue eyes. He said he noticed my big blue eyes and red hair and he was hooked!

The Monday after that fateful meeting Duane showed up at every class I had and carried my books to the next class. I don’t know how he knew where I was but I he was resourceful.

Duane didn’t have a car at that time and had to rely on borrowing his dad’s 53 ford pickup. Most of the time we spent time together walking all over Castro Valley. I would go to the library at least once a week and Duane would carry home my ten plus books without complaint. I wondered why we always were walking, it wasn’t till much later I learned that he was often on restriction for bad grades and he worked like the devil to get his grades up so he could borrow the truck for the school dances. His mother told me they thought I was a good influence on him because he brought his grades up and never was on restriction again, by the next report card period.

The school dances every Friday night were our favorite activity and we’d dance till they shut it down. I remember the wonderful old songs we loved, but nothing beat the song, The Twelfth of Never!

We got married one week before I graduated from high school in 1960. We were very independent and since Duane was one year ahead of me in school already out and working, we thought we were so grown up and able to make our own decisions.

Our honeymoon was at Yosemite for a week. We had $5.00 and a full ice chest full of food and a tent. We drove up to the mountains and had to stop for the night near Groveland, because the park wasn’t open at night. Of course we didn’t have money for a room anywhere so we drove our 55 ford sedan into an open field and spent the night. The next morning there were several hundred cows around our car looking in the window and watching us sleep. It was an amazing sight!

We bought breakfast for 2 refilled the car with gas and still had a couple of dollars for the week in Yosemite Valley. The park wasn’t managed the way it is now and we had to wait for someone to leave before we could put up our tent right next to several others. There was only enough room to put it up tent stake to tent stake with neighbors all around. We did enjoy the nightly fire-falls it was beautiful but a long ago memory now, with all of the environmental issues they couldn’t let fire fall from the top near half dome now days.

We arranged to meet friends at a reservoir on our way home and spent a day in a row boat together. We started out with four rowing paddle ores, but by the time the guys finished using them to knock down dirt in the channel a fun activitiy but I’m sure it wasn’t acceptable behavior on the water, we lost two of them and because the wind came up we put a blanket between them and sailed back to the cars. Needless to say the going was slow and by the time we got back to the car we were sunburned to the blister stage.

It’s been an adventure of world travel and now gold mining in the Sierra Nevada Mts. We travel six months every year and I write whenever I can get some time to put my thoughts down. My first novel Without Consent is now out and is a soft cover as well as an e-book. Now I’m dragging Duane to book signings and interesting places I want to research for my next novel.

We are the parents of three children and four grandchildren. I was able to raise my children without having to work, however, I always worked from home. I became a reporter and feature story writer for the Daily Review, went to college and got my Master’s in Clinical Psychology and became a Social Worker. Duane was fortunate that he was able to work for a crane manufacturer and learned the crane business from the ground up and eventually be came the company representative all over the world, supervising the installation of the cranes by foreign crews. It’s been a happy and satisfying life and I feel given that we were so young when we started out that we were very lucky and grateful to be celebrating our 52nd wedding anniversary, through thick and thin.

HOW WE FIRST MET:

I was the president of Sigma Nu Fraternity at UC Davis. Dorothy was a little sister at the fraternity. I asked her out several [...]]]> Entered for show on March 10, 2012 in Castro Valley

HOW WE FIRST MET:

I was the president of Sigma Nu Fraternity at UC Davis. Dorothy was a little sister at the fraternity. I asked her out several times but she said I was stuck up a and conceited and she would never go out with me since I was only looking for a good time. She finally relented. 30 years and three children later, I’m not sure if her initial opinion of me ever changed…

HOW WE FIRST MET: In 1983, I was touring with a traveling amateur Christian basketball team through Europe. After several weeks of sleeping on trains – ie, no laundry [...]]]> Entered for show on March 10, 2012 in Castro Valley

HOW WE FIRST MET: In 1983, I was touring with a traveling amateur Christian basketball team through Europe. After several weeks of sleeping on trains – ie, no laundry – my roommate and I landed at the European Headquarters for Campus Crusade for Christ for a one-night stay. We were heading back to the States two days later.

My friend, Ed, had a female acquaintance at CCC Europe who agreed to take us to church that Sunday morning, then have us over for a home-cooked meal. When we were waiting in the lobby to meet her, a young blond with curly hair and a southern accent bounded down the stairs. Her name was Lea Kate and she was going to church with us.

I tried very hard to put my eyes back in my head. After all, we were going to church! I remembered thinking, correctly, “I am out of my league.”

The four of us spent the morning together at an English-speaking church in Germany. I have no idea what the pastor was talking about…I was too busy trying not to get caught sniffing Lea’s perfume.

We enjoyed a homemade lunch of apple dumplings. Lea laughed enthusiastically at the four jokes I knew, then agreed to take us to the train station that evening.

As we got on overnight train to Paris, I’m not kidding, a puff of steam came up from the engine just like one of those corny old black-and-white movies, enveloping her. Lea handed me a chocolate bar for the trip. When we got aboard, I lowered the window (it was January, and cold) and mouthed “write me,” as the train pulled out of the station. She mouthed back, “You first.”

I opened the candy bar, ate the chocolate, then carefully folded the wrapper and put it in my journal. I pulled out a pen and wrote: “I just met a girl named Lea Kate Quesenberry. She’s definitely one I could live with. Is she the one I can’t live without?”

When we got back to the U.S., I pulled out the Campus Crusade staff directory, found her ID number, and began making monthly donations to her missionary account. That way, she would be compelled to send me her monthly informational prayer letters! She ended up writing me first after all.

I supported her with those $10 donations for four years…and gladly have picked up the rest of the tab for the past 25 years!

Recently, while cleaning out some old boxes, I stumbled across Lea’s journals from her time in Germany. She had written, on the day I was there, “I met a man named Don Ott today. I am interested in him.”

I found my journal, too. The candy bar wrapper is still inside.

HOW WE FIRST MET:True Love, Lost and Found

In 1947 Jerome Blaha entered Kindergarten at Redwood School in Castro Valley. It wasn’t until 4th grade that Melanie Melewicz [...]]]> Entered for show on March 10, 2012 in Castro Valley

HOW WE FIRST MET:True Love, Lost and Found

In 1947 Jerome Blaha entered Kindergarten at Redwood School in Castro Valley. It wasn’t until 4th grade that Melanie Melewicz arrived in Castro Valley and entered Miss Parish’s 4th grade class – one week late. Jerome remembers how beautiful Melanie was and how Miss Parish introduced her to the class and led her by the hand to her seat – located only two rows to the left of Jerome’s desk!
Immediately enamored, Jerome did all he could to be near Melanie, but could not tell anyone that he was in love – because it wasn’t appropriate for an 8 year old to love a girl when boys were supposed to tease them. In time, Jerome came to admire her grace and intelligence as the smartest girl in the class, one who also won all the art and writing contests.

Melanie, on the other hand, only recalls Jerome as “different”. Her clearest memory recalls a time Jerome was riding his bicycle home from school and turned his head to look at Melanie walking home with her girlfriends. Unfortunately he crashed into a telephone pole and fell off his bike.

In sixth grade, Jerome was traumatized when Melanie announced to the class that she was moving. Her father, a Commander in the US Navy, was being transferred to Newfoundland.

For the next 17 years encompassing school, 4 years in the Marine Corps and college (UCB) and law school, Jerome looked for “the love of his life”, but never found one to match Melanie. For the next 17 years Melanie lived in many states and countries and finished college with a masters degree in English, but never approved of any suitors or accepted any marriage proposals because no one was the “right person”.

Then, in February 1971, Jerome attended a Castro Valley High School reunion committee meeting where Shirley Lewis (one of Melanie’s 4th grade girlfriends) asked Jerome if he knew who was back in town? “Who?” (reply- “Melanie Melewicz. My mom and Melanie’s mom have kept contact over the years”) Stunned, Jerome asked “Is she married?” (reply- “No”) “Do you have her telephone number?” (reply -“Yes”) “Can I have it?” (reply- “Yes”)

Immediately, Jerome called Melanie. He introduced himself, and asked: “Are you married?” (reply- “No”) “Would you like to go out for a date?” (reply- “No”) “How about a year from now?” (reply- “OK) “How about next month?” (reply- “that’s possible”) “How about tomorrow?” (reply- “well, OK”)

When he arrived for their first date, Jerome could not believe that Melanie was living only six blocks up the street from his place located next to Hastings College of the Law.

Seventeen years later, on February 14, 1971, when Melanie opened her apartment door for their first date, Jerome was stunned by her beauty. She looked exactly the same as she did when she left Redwood School and Castro Valley in the 6th grade.

Melanie again observed Jerome as “different” as he was in grade school. This time he sported a well-kempt full beard and 60’s garb. “What have you done for the last 17 years?” was the topic of discussion over dinner at Benihana’s in San Francisco. That led to Melanie accepting a second date with Jerome, for a San Francisco Symphony concert. On the drive to the Opera House, Melanie glanced over at Jerome. His face was glowing red in the reflection of a stop light, when she heard a voice inside her saying loud and clear: “That’s the man I am going to marry.” This time, it was she who was stunned.

On April 6, 1971 after almost daily contacts, adventures, morning jogs on the beach and many dates, Jerome asked Melanie to marry him. Playing hard to get, Melanie held off saying “yes” until the following day.

They exchanged marriage vows on September 19, 1971 at All Saints Church in Hayward followed by a do-it-yourself (with help of family and friends) reception in the Meek Mansion. After bearing 2 fantastic children, Jerome Jr and Jennifer, Jerome and Melanie have continued re-meeting and renewing their marital vows again after 10 years, 20 years, 30 years and 40 years of marriage.

Jerome and Melanie give thanks to the Lord for all His blessings – for “How We First Met, How We Re-met, and for Our Marriage, Our Lives Together, and Our Children, Parents, and very first Grandchild born January 22, 2012.”

HOW WE FIRST MET: I guess it all started on May 7, 1973. That’s when Matt was born at Eden Medical Center in Castro Valley. The next day, [...]]]> Entered for show on March 10, 2012 in Castro Valley

HOW WE FIRST MET: I guess it all started on May 7, 1973. That’s when Matt was born at Eden Medical Center in Castro Valley. The next day, in Ravenna Ohio, I was born.

We graduated from high school in 1991. By then I was living in Palo Alto and Matt was still in Castro Valley. In August of that year both Matt and I started our freshman year at San Jose State University. We had our very first class at San Jose State together (Humanities)- and never notice each other.

A few years later we had another class together, German. I remember Matt very vaguely. He sat a bit behind me and I thought he had a horrible accent. Matt does not remember me at all.

Fast-forward another few years. We were both working in Opera and Musical Theater. Matt was a singer and performer. I was a costumer and make-up artist. He drove a really flashy car with the license plate “OPERAMN”. I recall seeing him driving around San Jose a few times and wondering who he was.

So it was May of 2000. I had just come off a run of La Traviata at Opera San Jose. American Musical Theater called me to come in to do make-up for “Phantom” because one of their make-up artists had gotten sick. I (very reluctantly) agreed.

The first night I was there I looked at my list to see who had signed up for make-up first. I had been assigned the Men’s chorus, which was fine with me. No drama (hahahaha) and pretty much everyone left me alone. I saw that this “Matt” guy had signed up. The rest of my list was empty and he had put himself down as #6. Oh boy, it was going to be one of THOSE nights. I went to track down my wayward actor.

He was sitting at his mirror reading the Sports Illustrated Swim Suit Issue (ugh). I said, “You’re up, let’s go.”. I think he said something like ‘already?’ and then I led him over to my chair. As I was doing his makeup, he began to try to butter me up. “Your eyes are beautiful.” he said. “Uh huh, yeah buddy, I’ve heard it all before…. ok close your eyes….now look up….hold still….”

The run of the show was about 2 weeks and I saw him every night. He and my best friend had struck up a friendship- they both loved “Les Miserables” and spoke Japanese. Despite the fact that he was a preppy, sports fan and she was a purple haired Goth, I thought they would get along great.

One night Matt and I happened to be going down to the stage together he mentioned that his sister’s name was Sarah. On a whim I asked my when his birthday was. “May 7th.” he said. “Wow, mine’s May 8th. What year?” “1973.” “Hey, me too”. He then told me that his brother’s birthday was May 8th but 3 years older.

After that conversation, I was sure. Matt was PERFECT for my best friend. So I began to encourage her to pursue him. One night after the show, Matt, my friend, and I went out to a pub. I kept getting up to go to the bar, check my cell phone, go to the bathroom- all the while thinking I was giving them some “alone” time. At one point, my friend got up for something. As soon as she left, Matt turned to me and said, “You have to let me take you out sometime.”

Shock and dismay!!! I couldn’t go out with him!!! I was setting him up with my bestie! And besides, he actually liked SPORTS and was (gasp!) a PERFORMER. Definitely a no no for me. I was cool, artistic, pierced, for God’s sake I had bright, Manic Panic Rubine and Vermillion hair! This would not do. I said, “No.” and then because I felt bad at the look he game me I cushioned it with, “I’ll think about it.” (Yeah, right)

On the way home, I called my friend in a panic. She lit into me. I believe her exact words were, “Are you a complete idiot? If you don’t go out with him, you are a total dork.” So, on her advice, I accepted his invitation. Here we are almost 12 years later. We have been married for 10 years and we have two beautiful boys.

HOW WE FIRST MET:

It’s hard to say how we first met, because I feel like we always knew each other. We grew up in the same town, went [...]]]> Entered for show on February 14, 2012 in San Francisco

HOW WE FIRST MET:

It’s hard to say how we first met, because I feel like we always knew each other. We grew up in the same town, went to the same middle school, high school, and college. We each knew who the other person was, but we never really officially met (yes, we went to big schools ). So our first official meeting was actually in the back seat of my best friend’s car. No, not THAT way! I think we were on the way to a college party, or a friend’s house, or something like that. I got into the car, and here was this beautiful girl trying not to notice me (at least that’s how I remember it) and listening to her walkman — yes, her walkman; this is way before smart-phones, ipods, etc! Anyway, she seemed really into what she was listening to, so I asked her what it was. “Wonderful Tonight” she replied.

Distracted by the direct eye contact, I said something super-intelligent like “HUHMNT”? “You know, Wonderful Tonight by Eric Clapton.” I said I didn’t. I mean, honestly, if it wasn’t Rush, Van Halen, Led Zeppelin or something like that, how would I have known? “Really?!?!?” – she looked at me with shock. Well, if you know my wife, when she’s on a mission, she’s on a mission. And her mission that night was to educate me on this song that she loved so much. So she pulled me over, turned one of the headphones around, and proceeded to “educate” me on the beauty of the song. I of course pretended to have a hard time hearing so I could get closer, and the rest is history. That song and that moment changed my life forever. We went through a few “dating/not dating?” moements after that, but that song and that moment always seemed to serve to bring us back together. Several years later, it became our wedding song. Thirteen years after that, it seems to mysteriously appear on the radio, in a bar, in a restaurant, or wherever — whenever we have a disagreement, when we’re sharing a romantic moment, or when we’re just hanging out and reminiscing — and it always brings us closer.

So that’s how we first met, and for us, it also serves as a frequent reminder of that “something special” that we have together!

Nick & Sandra

HOW WE FIRST MET: We met when we were both working as extras in a short lived TV show “Trauma” that was filming in SF. [...]]]> Entered for show on February 14, 2012 in San Francisco

Nick & Sandra

HOW WE FIRST MET: We met when we were both working as extras in a short lived TV show “Trauma” that was filming in SF. We were both in drag, the episode was the Halloween episode about a fire at a Drag event in the Castro. Sandra tried several times to start up a conversation with me, but I’m very shy and I kept getting distracted, plus I have absolutely no “Flirt Radar.” She figured I was not interested and was another stuck up “Bear” that wanted nothing to do with a Korean Drag Queen.

She asked her friend Cookie Dough about me. Cookie and I both had worked at Josie’s Cabaret together. Cookie called me over and introduced me to the other Drag Queens and said “And this is Sandra O. Noshi-Di’n't and she wants to see you naked.” Even I got that message. I later worked up the nerve to talk to her, and we hung around together for the rest of the shoot. In the green room, she sat with me, then sat on my lap. As we were saying goodbye, she going with her friends and me going to get my Vespa from the parking garage, as the elevator doors were closing she leaned in and kissed me. She says I had a totally shocked look on my face as the doors closed.

Fern & Frank

HOW WE FIRST MET: From Fern’s perspective: It was a warm weekday evening (I believe Thursday) and she was looking forward to getting off work. [...]]]> Entered for show on February 14, 2012 in San Francisco

Fern & Frank

HOW WE FIRST MET:
From Fern’s perspective:
It was a warm weekday evening (I believe Thursday) and she was looking forward to getting off work. As a young single gal (26 at the time) living in the quiet city of Napa and working in Vallejo, there was not much of a social life. She was looking forward to attending her first, but not last, happy hour at the Bubble Lounge in SF. Thanks to her cousin who is quite the socialite, Fern was able to meet a lot of people. She was talking and laughing with a nice guy (even though she didn’t understand his humor) when this knockout walked through the doors of Bubble Lounge. She tried to stop talking to the nice guy in hopes that the knockout she dubbed “Pretty Frank” would know she was not taken…she was available as ever! Luckily, they had a chance to talk and clicked right away.

In the midst of their great conversations, she had to cut it short to catch the BART train. The abrupt departure left quite an impression on Pretty Frank. In her mind, she had to catch BART. In his mind, she was playing hard to get.

The second time we met was when I hosted a “Pimp Your Friend Night”. The idea was to bring a single friend you want to pimp out to other singles. In the midst of the party “Pretty Frank” showed up. She excitedly told her girlfriend, there’s the guy I was telling you about. Her response “He is pretty!”

As the night went on, we talked and before he left, he asked for my phone number. I politely replied, “I don’t know if I can give you my phone number,” His response, “You don’t have to, it was listed on the evite.”

From Frank’s perspective (summarized by Fern):
That day was a good day as he had just gotten a haircut and a good shave. He went to another happy hour (one of many in his lifetime) at Bubble Lounge. As he walked through the door, he noticed a girl sitting on the couch wearing a striped t-shirt and thought..interesting fashion but otherwise quite attractive. He swooped in as she was talking to his friend and wanted to grab her attention. He learned that she had just moved from LA to Napa (Asian girl in Napa?) and is the cousin of the host. She also asked very interesting questions…he can tell she was a curious and spunky one.

As they talked, her questions became more and more bold and personal. Somehow they clicked. Just as it was getting more interesting, she gave the excuse that she had to leave and take BART. All I got was a ”It was nice meeting you” line. And she left. He knew that was not going to be the last time he saw her.

During the “Pimp Your Friend” event, Frank recalls Fern was dancing with him and showing him all her moves. She was literally dancing around him while he just stood there admiring her dancing skills. He definitely was hooked. He had to get her number. Even though she resisted, he was sly and told her that he already had it.

Coming together:
After several months of daily 5 hour phone conversations (that caused Fern to develop a rash on her face due to holding the phone too long next to her face), they became a couple. After several years, Frank decided to bite the bullet and asked Fern to be his soul mate for life. Fern, excited, said yes, even before he was done asking the question.

Staying together:
We married on May 22, 2010. After nearly 2 years of bliss, we are still laughing at the fact that although meant to help other friends that night, Fern ended up pimping herself.