Nicole and Ned met in an unlikely place at an unlikely time but immediately recognized something shimmering in each other. The backdrop was a business networking event – the San Diego Venture Group annual PitchFest (business plan competition), on Dec 5, 2007. Nicole was drumming up business for her company, and Ned was making contacts on behalf of an entrepreneurial organization. In short, it was not the usual setting for romance!

Suddenly we locked eyes – Nicole emerged from the crowd and strode confidently past in her business suit, and Ned glanced over his shoulder then stared smiling; neither of us broke the gaze. Ned exited his conversation with two silver-haired venture capitalists, mid-sentence, walked over, and introduced himself. The intrigue had begun.

However, the conversation was all business! (at least on the surface) We discussed how our organizations could converge (synergy, and all that!), and then on to Ned’s research (the biology of human thought and speech). Nicole thought Ned seemed surprisingly exuberant and intellectual, Ned thought Nicole seemed very confident with a subtle but alluring note of sass. We were intrigued. So much more lay beneath the surface. We traded details. Ned was sure something would come of it.

Emails, agendas, and finally a plan for 'coffee'. Business attire, de facto. Nicole keeping us on task and on a schedule. Talk was formal on top, an increasing rumble building beneath. Body language belying our composure. Nicole left even more intrigued.

Ned casually dropped in that he was having a party. The next day. (His birthday.) … Nicole came. Only later did Ned find out the lengths she went to just to be there. The party was filled with new friends (Ned only moved a month or two before), but even casual observers noticed something changed when Nicole walked, nay danced, in. And Nicole saw whole new dimensions to Ned. The intrigue continued. Looking back, it was striking how comfortable we felt with each other, already – evident in this picture from that party.

After several dates, the momentum was building. Then the fabled turning point – the bonfire. Nicole and friends organized a bonfire on her favorite beach. January 1. A beach day in San Diego. We spent the whole night on that beach. Her friends say we had an inimitable chemistry. And that we had and have an energy and way of thinking that are eerily alike – particularly special given how far down our own path from 'normal' they are! The whole night we explored each other's minds and found deep stirring comfort and excitement. The next morning was ours. Mythical. We shared a kiss that seemed to reach into our souls.

When You Know You Know

Nicole's mom had long told her about finding the right person to marry: “when you know you know.” The day after that fabled bonfire (such a perfect symbol, isn't it?), Nicole called home laughing and crying and said, essentially, “I know. ”

Truly, for both of us, so many over-the-top phrases and sappy love songs suddenly started to make perfect sense! This was what they were talking about, we felt, this feeling! It all made sense.

We Recognized Each Other

It was an overwhelming feeling. It was at once so foreign, and so oddly familiar. We felt like we had finally come home, after many years. We don’t feel that we chose or fell for each other.

We feel that we recognized each other.

We have each always marched to the beat of our own drum – and in each other we finally found the drummer.

Our early emails happily capture the memories of how stunned we both felt, how our minds seemed to be linked, how passionate our connection was – that within weeks we knew we would be married! Yet we kept our sweet secret effervescing in our hearts for quite a while. We felt that the rest of our world might need some time to catch up (we wouldn’t have believed the story ourselves!) We devoted much exciting time to planning and officially announcing to our families, in person, and then to friends. Thank you all for all the love and delight and congratulations you sent back our way.

For some, this web site will be the first you have heard the fine details. We hope the site will efficiently communicate a lot of information. We also decorated the site with our love and poetry to share with you, and in a way as a gift to each other. We just feel SOOO lucky to be able to spend the rest of time with each other; we hope you will allow us to glow a bit!