I’m taking over my wife’s blog again. Today is our 10 Year Wedding Anniversary and instead of doing 5Q’s I wanted to share with everyone a tiny book Lynne made me for my birthday shortly after we met—in person that is. I love that she created this for me.
We lost this book for about 5 years after our move from New Hampshire to Tennessee. We were both very upset and had given up that it was lost forever. And then one day, she was re-structuring and organizing her office and found it in a box. Since then I keep it hidden away in my office and bring it out every so often to read it. Be warned, I say some goofy stuff and I would never share this before because it’s embarrassing, but I now find it endearing how she made me so nervous even before meeting her. The stuff I wrote I can’t believe — but it is what it is. The text in the book is starting to fade so I hope everyone can read it.
Lynne: Don’t worry Eric. I zoomed in and lightened all the pages for “close-ups” to make sure everyone sees how goofy you were!! Joking. I redacted areas that yes, were at times a bit corny! But rest assured, some things will remain personal.
So here is the envelope she made holding the book.
And this is what it looked like when I opened it.
She put snapshots of our online profiles on the left.
I love the subhead she wrote.
In December of 2008, I’m online and I see this woman’s pic and I read her bio. Her headline is “Looks like Mary Ann; Cooks Like Ginger.” I have to meet this woman. Btw, mine is “Craftsman looking for a creative and inspiring woman” (which I got).
Now for the embarrassing stuff. On December 26, 2008 I send her the first communication.
“Just Reaching Out”
Here’s a closeup of the page. All I can say is, I cringe a little when I read it now.
Looking back at this I wonder why you ever replied. Thank you for redacting the other stuff. But I’ll let you keep the conditioner comment in there—OMG!
Lynne: Yes, I had to redact, didn’t want to ruin your “professional image!” lol. But I can’t believe you wrote you spend a ‘small fortune on conditioner.’ I think initially, I just filed your email away.
I get no response from her. Now it’s January 15, 2009.
I send her this.
And a week later she replies!
So I immediately search for a finger joke and send it. And she replied right back, short, but she replied.
Lynne: LOL. I got so many emails from the day I signed on. TONS! And not because I’m anything special it was because I had no kids. Men would be saying how great it would be to meet a woman with no baggage, no kids, etc. So the comment I gave you, I just copied and pasted to a bunch of men who I never replied to. Sorry! But me writing “yes, that was a bad finger joke” that was specially for you. I had to type that part in and with one hand. : )
What?? Copied and Pasted? Uh. Also, we should point out how you broke your finger.
Lynne: Yes. I was picking up Chance from the kennel after flying home from visiting my parents in Florida. I was at the counter and trying to get him to stop jumping by placing my hand under his collar. I got in the car, took off my gloves and my finger was bent sideways right at the knuckle. I didn’t feel it at first when I was paying my bill. I then picked up my phone, called my mother and started wailing on the phone… crying and crying because I was all alone and had to drive myself to the hospital. I cried the whole way there.
So now we’re in February.
I send her an email but it’s not in the book. Subject: Curious. I ask her how the surgery went. She replies. Then I reply right away.
Lynne: Actually, I wasn’t in a cast but it was too long to explain. I had several pins going through my finger and it was so uncomfortable. Then I had to have some kind of wrapping around it that protected the pins from moving and then other wrapping all around that. It was huge. By the way, look at you being funny with the bowling comment. I thought you only became funny AFTER you met me.
I go to Atlanta for my workshop every day hoping I will get an email. Nothing. I come back home and send her an email on February 12th. “Hi”
Still no reply from her. I try one last time on February 22nd with another bad finger joke. It’s hard to read, but that part isn’t important. It’s her response.
Lynne: Sorry I couldn’t get the quality better. The text on yours was so tiny and fading. And it was a terrible joke about a German man losing all his fingers! But I love the last line and that’s why I responded to you… “It’s ok to tell a guy, or at least this one, that you are not interested.” Sort of made me feel bad! And we were having a big snowstorm … lol.
So the next day, February 23rd I respond.
And then she responds with what I’ve been waiting for since December.
Lynne: Hey, you wrote the best email and when you ended it with questioning whether you should bring your own shovel, I burst out laughing. Had to give you my number.
But I still need to “meet” her in person.
On February 25th, she writes me this, which I’m figuring out she probably is just looking at my website now. And then she emails me again. She’s interested. But look at her first comment; she’s asking me to make her some kind of ‘pouch?’ And not only that, she wants me to discount it 75%? Maybe I don’t want to meet her! But I do. I called her on the phone and we talk a long time. But importantly, we make plans to meet.
Did I really bring up robots? How geeky, what an idiot. I still like that robot battle show.
Lynne: Oh my gosh!! LOL! I’m that “B” word you call women that would ask an artist to discount their work! So terrible! Especially what I know now about your work. Humiliating! But you spelled my name wrong.
Yes, I did. But then we finally meet on February 27th, 2009.
Lynne: We first met at an Irish bar for a drink. Easy—if we don’t like each other we don’t have to sit through a meal. Then we decide to walk across the street and have an amazing dinner. We meet the chef—probably because we have been at this table for hours talking. Talking and talking. They are closing, so we walk further down the street to a night club, loaded with college kids. We’re the oldest there and we don’t even bother making it to the dance floor. We are dancing right next to the booth we are sitting at. Remember all those girls in the next booth over? They were laughing at us. But we didn’t have a care in the world.
I remember but I never thought anyone was laughing at us. If they did, I didn’t care either.
Lynne: I remember how long we talked. And I also had my friend Karen from Maine’s voice in my head “Lynne, don’t be telling him your whole life story. Stay mysterious for a bit!” And when she called me the next day to see how our date was I told her, “I didn’t have much time to tell my story, he told me everything about him!”
And that’s right, you forgot where your car was. Did I drive you around looking for it in my jeep? And then remember how I showed you where your exit was going to be to get home?
As far as where my car was, it was in a Manchester parking garage. Very easy to lose track and forget where you parked when you’re only thinking about a special woman. And yes, that was nice of you to show me how to get through the city and back on my way home.
Then Lynne sends me the best email on March 1st. (Looks like she’s redacting as well.)
But after this communication, we sort of start over, by leaving the digital world where we met.
Lynne gave me this book a month-and-a-half later for my birthday. On the right-hand side she made a small envelope holding a little paper “pouch” with a ribbon. And inside was a tiny little note, just for me. It’s probably my most favorite gift of all.
We were married 16 months later after this last communication.
Thank you for putting up with me for ten years Lynne. I love you!
This could be a movie. Thanks for sharing. Happy Anniversary.
ha ha. Thanks Emily!
Thank you both for being brave enough to share your story. It was great! Happy Anniversary to the two of you!
Thank Eric. It was all him.
Oh my gosh, I never knew any of this. All I knew was that one day Eric had this incredible woman with him at a convention and you both had “forever” written all over you. How sweet (and brave) of you to share with us all. Love you both. Happy Anniversary!!!!!
Thank you Pattie. You were the first “basket” person I met at NCBA, out in the parking lot. You were the best introduction into the “basket world!”
Such a great story!. Happy Anniversary! May there be many more years together. You make a terrific team!