the story

First of all this is going to be a bit organic & I'm going to write from my notes & memory & I'm sure I'm leaving stuff out & this will get changed over time with Heather's input, Jen's, Stu's, Missy's, etc.

Ok... Gotta start at the beginning. Let's set the stage.  Heather is living with Craig in the house they own in Launceston, Tasmania.  Chris is living on his own in Hawaii.

Jenny meets Stu through SalesLogix over in Melbourne, Australia I think.  They hit it off & e-date & such craziness.  Then they meet in Bali & the sparks fly.  Stu comes to the US.  They are hot to trot & that part is history.  During this period, Jenny brings Stu to Kauai & Chris meets him.  Chris is wowed at how damn nice he is.  Likes him automatically. 

Somewhere in there, Stu takes Jenny back to Australia for Dad Carnie's marriage to Kerry.  Jenny meets Heather, Stu's sister, & says DAMN! she'd be perfect for Chris.  She said "damn" because Heather already had a boyfriend & was serious with him.  They owned a house & everything.  Heather said Chris could be her backup.  So life went on with Heather & Chris not thinking too much about the whole thing.

Jenny & Stu come back to the US.  They decide to get married & do a Vegas wedding.  Chris flies over & likes Stu even more.  He gives a great toast that makes everybody cry.  Didn't catch it on tape though.  Shame.  Can't remember what I said either.  It was probably all lies anyway.  Ok, Chris goes back to Hawaii & life goes on.  Did I mention he brought some killer lei's that everybody wore & everybody in Las Vegas commented on how cool they were.

Ok, as time goes on, Jenny & Stu decide to get married in the church & have a big wedding & reception so everybody can party like it's 1999.  The details of that are their own story.  Suffice to say everyone in Arizona said it was the best food they ever had at a wedding (the reception was at C-Fu & it was a gourmet Hong Kong style feast).  Then let me also add that Jenny & Stu had rented 2 tour buses to take everybody from the hotel of choice all the way out to C-Fu & back so nobody drunk drove.  You know there was some partying going on that night.  Chris had like 10 double Citron & soda's.  Seriously...

So enough back story.  Heather gets into town a day or two before the wedding (which was on January 26th, 2002).  Chris gets in the day before & the first time they meet was at Jen & Stu's house.  Didn't talk much until later that night in the OLPH church vestibule before they were to walk down the aisle for the rehearsal.  Right away Heather is a smart ass & starts giving Chris a hard time.  Not really.  Basically they had instant chemistry & started joking immediately.  The first kidding was about Chris' phone & how he kept getting calls & was talking on his cell phone while they were walking down the aisle.  The he deftly dropped the phone in the middle of everything.  Very smooth.  The crazy thing is that they were both so identically playful & silly.

Ok, don't think I mentioned this but Chris & Jenny were/are super, duper tight & so are/were Stuart & Heather.  Chris was Jenny's "Best Mate" or "Matron of Honor" and Heather was Stuart's "Best Mate" or "Best Man."   With this being the case, Chris & Heatther were paired up for the walk up & down the aisle.  Talk about a sign there!

Ok from there, the next thing that jumps out in my mind is the shocking.  After the rehearsal, Jen & Stu had a big old party at the Ramada (their hotel home base).  Everyone was there & it was the first meeting for a lot of folks.  Somehow Heather got Chris to start shocking people with static electricity.  Or was it the other way around?  :)  Anyway, the 2 kooks kept walking around sliding their feet & chasing everybody (especially Aunt Kathy).  Aunt Mary was definitely in on it too.  For some reason, they both thought it was fun & had a blast with it.

Another memory was when Chris & Heather were walking down the aisle.  Heather started to cry (happy cry I think).  Chris offered her a toy cell phone he stashed as a joke & that helped her laugh.

Then the next thing was the response that Heather & I got when we walked into the reception.  We walked in kind of funky & everybody said we looked like we belonged together.  We probably got 10 comments that night that we looked like we should be together.  Part of the time we were walking around together with Jenny & Stu going from table to table.  Jenny & Stu were thanking every one for coming & Heather & I were pouring them all champagne.  This was Jenny's ruse/excuse to get us to spend more time together.  The funny thing was that Heather's boyfriend, Craig from Australia, was there & following us around.  When people kept making comments on how good we looked together, we had to keep pointing him out.  Robin's dad said we looked so good, he said he was a minister & offered to marry us on the spot.  Ted McDonald said to Mom:  "those two belong together."  Mom said:  "that's her boyfriend" and pointed to Craig.  Mr. McD was like oh.  He had a couple that night & came up to mom later & said "it doesn't f-ing matter.  It just doesn't f-ing matter.  Those two belong together."  Sister Frances came up to Heather & said "I know the perfect person for you....Chris."  Heather said "that's my boyfriend over there.  There were a bunch of other people that came up to mom & said that as well...Emily, Natalie, Sr. Frances.  Got to find out who the others were.  Sr. Frances later said to Chris that she stopped praying for him to find someone once he & Heather were together.

So the next thing that stands out was the after party at the Sugar Shack.  I was already pretty interested in Heather so I remember buying her & Craig drinks & shots.  I remember that I couldn't have cared less about Craig but I was pretending to be nice to him because I was working it.  I didn't have 2 seconds time for him but I had to make like I did so Heather didn't think I was a jerk.  Eventually Heather & Craig left & Missy got me totally messed up.  Fun though.

I remember all along this time that Heather & I would play karate fight in Jen & Stu's living room.  Seemed innocent but it totally wasn't to me.  I just wanted to spend time with her & have fun.  Guess I'm lucky Craig wasn't more on the ball.  I definitely would have been & quashed it immediately.

Ok, somewhere along here, I decided I really like Heather.  I was kind of bumming because I'd finally gotten the need for a woman out of my head & was just really happy & enjoying life in Hawaii.  Now here is this killer girl that has a boyfriend & it totally sucks.  I remember the next night that I borrowed Stu's bike & took a late night ride to wallow in my bummed out state.  I had my MP3 player on & as I pedaled away, these 3 songs played in a row:  Wise Up by Aimee Man, Save Me by Aimee Man & Sunshower by Chris Cornell.  At the time these 3 songs really meant a lot to me & were just like kicking me in the teeth.  It was basically the Lane Meyer scene in Better Off Dead where every song on the radio is a "I lost my girl sad type song" and he keeps changing the channel & then you just see the radio flying through the air & then skidding to a stop on the street (he yanked it & tossed it out of the car).

So I get back from the bike ride & see Jenny & mom & Stu on the porch in the back yard.  I tell them "I'm all f-ed up" & then tell them how I like Heather.  Jenny proceeds to tell me that she heard a secret from Craig & that he is planning on asking Heather to marry him on the top of the Empire State Building in New York.  The whole idea after the wedding is that our whole family is going with Stu & Jen to Las Vegas & then on to New York City to celebrate (and also to show the Oz crew some of the US since they flew so far to get over here).  So Jen says & mom said might as well go for it.  And I decided I might as well then and did.

So in addition to our having fun in general I also remember when we went to Rawhide (an Old West town simulation) that they had a mechanical bull & I dared Heather to ride it.  She did of course which I thought was so cool.  So I rode it too & was pretty damn awesome if I do say so myself.  Urban Cowboy 2.

Did I mention that Heather was just plain crazy & fun this whole time & she was always getting into trouble from clown Craig for being too crazy & laughing too loud?  She was also getting in trouble for spending money (which by the way she had earned for the both of them as he wasn't working at all).

I remember 2 of the cowboys as Rawhide also even said "she's trouble" in a good way.  They were definitely right.

So the day after Rawhide, the plan was to head down & show the Oz folks Mexico so we went ot Nogales.  I probably wouldn't have gone if it weren't for wanting to be with Heather.  Maybe I would have though.  I wasn't quite as cranky & old as I am now.  So on the drive down to Nogales, as we started to get close, this white powder started blowing.  It was freaking snowing!!!  It NEVER snows in Nogales.  Well it came down like mad & was building on the ground everywhere.  Very unusual.  I also remember going to the thrift shop & us all buying cheap gloves & beanies.  I had kick ass Power Ranger writing & graphics on my gloves & hat which I kept asserting was very cool.  It was though.  Heather had Tweetie Bird hats & gloves & Mum had Pooh Bear.  Heather & I kept snowball fighting throughout (there really was that much snow in Nogales!!!) and Craig was all pissy about that.

Ok, last everyday in AZ memory that stands out was playing shuffleboard in Zipp's (a bar in Scottsdale).  They had the shuffleboard table with the sawdust & little metal shuffle puck things  you slide down the surface.  I remember Craig let me be on Heather's team!  What was he thinking???  I remember we kept giving each other a hard time & standing together at the table while we were playing.  Heather kept making contact with me by bumping or brushing up on me, or was it the other way around?  I can't remember.  Anyway it was fun & Craig was crazy for being so oblivious.  Ok, I know that was total grade school with the bumping & stuff but I got better.

Ok...last thing in AZ was in the Sky Harbor Airport bar before we headed out to Vegas.  Our flight was late so we were hanging out in the Fox Sports West bar & drinking & having fun.  I think I had 4 double Citron & soda's & was schnockered.  Heather & her mum were drinking hard like everyone & having a blast...except Craig.  Little did we know at the time that Jenny kept ordering everyone doubles.  At some point, we were all singing New York, New York & forgot some of the words so Heather & Stu called Janine over in Oz.   Of course, she knew the missing lyrics.  This whole time Craig was getting pissed because Heather & mum were embarrassing him.  What a chump.  I remember making my first real move here.  Heather & I were standing together & I said something to the effect of:  "man, you really screwed me up."  She was like what?  Didn't get what I meant.  I said something like you've really screwed me up for the next 3 or 4 months.  I think she got my drift then.

Then Heather pulled Jenny aside & told her they had to talk.  She said something to the effect that nothing had made her question her relationship with Craig before but good ole me was doing it!  Craig continued to be a baby & bitch at her.  After we got to Vegas, we were walking together & goofing around.  Then as we were heading down the escalator towards the baggage claim, I said something to the effect of:  "man, shouldn't we be doing this for the next 60 or 70 years...having fun like this?"  See, I got game.  I was dropping the mack on her.  She didn't reply but she was definitely thinking.

So we're in Vegas now (remember this is just a few days we've been together....we were only together for 9 days the first time we saw each other...that's all it took).  We walked all over the strip & Craig was being a baby to her the entire time & frustrating her more & more.  Stu got sick with the flu & was confined to his room for most of the Vegas portion which totally sucked but ended up being a blessing.

Ok, the next cool thing was that when we were in the New York New York, I went into the Houdini's Magic Shop & bought some stuff.  I took a while, probably longer than I should but I did anyway which was unusual.  Part of the reaon was that they took me in the back room to give me instruction on the stuff I bought.  The other part was I just really wanted to look at stuff.  While this was going on, everybody put some money in the fortune teller machine outside Houdini's.  Heather's said something to the effect of:  "You are a romantic person.  The world will soon hold much happiness for you.  You are about to make some changes."  I got that all wrong.  I'll have Heather correct that.  She still has the card.  Then Craig did it too & his said something to the effect of:  "You are your own worst enemy.  You need to think before you speak or act."  How cool was that?

Well, she & Craig eventually had the big blow out.  She said she was cold & going up to get her scarf.  Jen went with her & got hers as well.  Craig said nothing about getting his but when she came down & he asked for it & she didn't have it, he blew up at her for being so inconsiderate.  So they got in a big old fight which I was happy to wait for.  Eventually everybody went back to their rooms except me & Shaun Antonelli.  He & I cruised around the Venetian & Paris & talked about Heather some. 

So the next morning, we were leaving Vegas for New York & we all ate breakfast in our hotel, the Imperial Palace.  While Heather & I were getting coffee & juice away from everybody I said:  "So do you think we should just hit the drive through chapel & get it out of the way?"  A bit bold, huh?  She wanted me....  Craig had also made this big drama scene & said he was going back to Australia, which would have been on Heather's dime since he was living off her anyway.  Unfortuately, he didn't leave & chose to head on to New York with us.

Ok off to NYC.  By now, Stu had given both Heather & me his flu which seemed to suck.  First of all Craig pitched a tantrum because Heather didn't want to sleep in the same room as him so Jenny put him in my room.  He wasn't going to room with me.  I volunteered to get my own room (around $300 x 2 nights) as it would have been well worth it to keep them on separate paths.  Mom & Pat & Jenny wouldn't let me thought & Mom & Pat took me in & the chump got the room to himself.  Oh well.  I made out better.

Well, we did some cool things like saw Les Miz, went to the top of the Empire State Building, saw Times Square at night, went to the Marriott bar overlooking Times Square which was cool.  I think it's interesting that it was FREEZING ASS COLD too.  It was so cold that nobody could really enjoy the top of the Empire State Building, could barely go outside for a second.  There went Craig's plan.  :)  I think it was also good that we didn't get to experience that right with other people.  We can still have our Sleepless in Seattle or Affair to Remember moment together later.

I also got more good counsel from Jenny & Mom after we saw Les Miz.  We stayed up for a while & I told them how I was feeling & they egged me on to go for it which was very cool.

We also went to the Red Eye Grill on 2/3.  This was one of Jen's recommends & she thought it was a kick ass place.   As 2/3 happens to be Heather's birthday, I went ahead & picked up the tab to act like a big shot and impress Heather.  Mom especially liked that.  Here I was...this guy who knew her for like 7 days & here I was picking up a tab for 8 or 10 people at a fancy, expensive New York joint.  I thought it was pretty cool too.

Well the best was yet to come.  Like I said, we both had the flu which was especially weird for me.  This was the only year of the past 10 that I hadn't had a flu shot (as I had left Sodexho/Marriott & the hosptials to work at the Hyatt).  If it were any other year, I would definitely have had a flu shot.  Good thing I didn't that year!

So the good part is that everyone was going to go to the Statue of Liberty the last day.  Heather & I were feeling crappy so we decided not to go.  Craig was going to stay as well but Mom talked him into going which was smooth.  So they decided to send us back up to our rooms.  In the elevator, we decided that we needed to talk & arranged to meet.

Well we did meet in Heather's room & just talked it out.  We laid it down that we really, really liked each other even though we barely knew each other.  We knew it was something special (this is like 8 1/2 days of knowing each other by the way) & decided to give it a go.  Heather would go home to Oz, sell her house, take care of business & then come back to see me & we'd see if it was as good as we thought it would be.  We were feeling really bad so we went back up to Heather's room & talked a bit more & then she jumped me & kissed me.  She says it was the other way around.  Either way, it wasn't too sexy with 2 sick clogged up, runny nosed people but I guess it was good enough.  Then we went down to the lounge & hung out & had Hot Toddy's. 

Then as kind of a kicker, on the flight back, the movie was Serendipity.  Don't know if you've see that but it's all about this same thing.  Fate, chance & such.  Super romantic & just right.  I remember when I first saw it in Hawaii I thought it was hokey.  I said I thought it was good but it was just too unrealistic.  Good thing I was wrong & just didn't have a clue!  :)

After this...

Heather came to Hawaii where I was living & we had a great time there.  We decided to move back to Arizona as my whole family was there & her brother was there.  She left & went to Scotland for a couple weeks and then we met in Cancun.  Had fun there & then I went back to Hawaii to wrap things up & move to Arizona.  Met there & had more fun and then decided to get married.  But that is another story.  She went back to Australia for a short time & came back.  Then we headed to Tasmania & tied the knot & the rest is history.