In the beginning...

Travel with us, won’t you, back to a time long ago — 1995 to be exact — where we find two lonely people on the precipice of change...

Marcie was a sophomore at UC Davis and just getting settled into her first apartment, which she shared with two Lishas and a Tami. She was happy, but at the same time, felt something missing in her life.

Steve had just finished his first semester as a graduate student in English at San Diego State University. He enjoyed the opportunity and challenges post-graduate academia presented; however, the semester’s end left him tired and feeling lonely.

The meeting

As the year neared its end, both Marcie and Steve were invited by Dan Ratner, a mutual friend, to usher in the New Year of 1996 by taking a trip to the snow-laden mountains of Lake Tahoe. Marcie had already arrived at Dan’s house in Sacramento when Steve arrived from the airport. With a 1970’s-era beige suitcase in hand, Steve entered Dan’s family room and saw the most beautiful smile he had ever seen. Marcie was smiling at the clumsiness of this dark-haired and darkly-dressed stranger as he entered the room, banging his anachronistic luggage into the wall. All Steve knew was that he had never seen an expression so sincere and warm.

The toast

It did not take long for sparks to fly...for, as soon as Steve delivered a New Year’s toast later that evening in a Lake Tahoe cabin, Marcie was struck with cupid’s arrow. In Marcie’s own words: “I gazed at him as he spoke his eloquent words, and wondered if I could ever build up enough courage to talk to this sensitive man.” After a painfully long struggle of an entire two minutes’ duration, she finally made her move and introduced herself to this speaker of rabbi-like wisdom. While making at least an obligatory effort to interact with the other members of the group, they managed to sustain conversation at regular intervals throughout the course of the trip. At the end of their vacation, they were to return to their separate towns of San Diego and Davis — a daunting eventuality to both. Intent on conquering the limits of long distance, Marcie subtly requested information from Steve. She asked, “Can I have your full name, e-mail address, home address, home phone, work phone, social security number, and driver’s license number?”

The E-mail romance

About 3 hours later, the e-mail romance began. At first, Steve and Marcie would write short silly e-mails at the end of each of their respective days, but it wasn’t long before their deepest thoughts and feelings were transmitted via this relatively new technology. They did not, however, ignore the old fashion postal service, as music tapes and baked goods were frequently sent back and forth.

Finally, Steve made the bold move of calling Marcie on Valentine’s day — at which point Marcie’s combination of excitement and nervousness led her into a frenzy of hyperventilation. This call resulted in even more phone calls and eventually Marcie expressed her strong desire to “visit her sisters in San Diego” (both of her sisters Kim and Aimee happened to be living in San Diego at that time) and planned a trip accordingly. And so Steve and Marcie met in person once again, three months from their first introduction, and fell in love.

The first date (i.e. Beware of suspicious seagulls)

Marcie and Steve went on their first date to Sea World where, during lunch, a seagull stole Marcie’s entire half-chicken meal in one swift flutter. Marcie was immediately struck with uncontrollable laughter at the sight of her bare plate. As Steve watched Marcie cry with tears of joy, he knew she was the woman of his dreams.

Frequent Fliers

As their relationship blossomed, they became frequent flyer mile customers on Southwest airlines. They were keeping Southwest in business with their endless trips up and down the coast of California in order to spend their weekends together. After one year of this flying fiasco, they were entirely sick of microscopic airplane pretzels and peanuts (except for the really good honey roasted ones). Steve decided that he could not stand to see one more air-filled bag of stale pretzels, so he became committed to the idea of moving to Davis. Marcie still had one year left at UC Davis and Steve had the great fortune of being accepted into UC Davis’ teaching credential program — a one-year program that coincided perfectly with Marcie’s last year at the university.

From Davis to Boston

When he arrived in Davis, Steve took one look at his shoebox-sized apartment (a size approximating 2 feet by 2 feet) and said, “I must really be in love.” They grew ever closer throughout the year as they spent time exploring many of Davis’ fabulous restaurants and starring in shows together at the Davis Musical Theatre Company.

While finishing up her undergraduate work at UC Davis, Marcie was accepted to Brandies University in Boston for a graduate program in Genetic Counseling. After a total of two and a half years as a couple, it came time for the ultimate test in the relationship: driving for 60 hours cross-country to Boston with only each other’s company as entertainment. As expected, the trip was a complete success with many moments of pure comedy and only a few minor arguments. Oh sure, there were subtle disputes, such as the time Marcie insisted on lowering the car’s antenna while driving through a lightening storm to avoid the obvious danger of being struck by lighting...or the time Steve insisted on staying at a hotel that was infested with locusts (the kind that hop like rabbits and make really loud squeaky noises)...But in the end, this trip was a tribute to their undying affection for each other. They survived the lightening and locust plagues and lived to tell about their memorable experiences.

During their two year stay in Boston, Marcie worked hard at Brandeis and at her various internships, while Steve entertained himself by becoming the musical director of “every show in town” (says Marcie...”Well, actually just a couple,” says Steve). Marcie dabbled in theatre as well, but when her show, “ A Chorus Line” was over, she had more time to contemplate the fact that Steve had not proposed. She began making not so subtle comments about how Steve was taking his SWEET TIME to pop the question. She became so vocal about her discontent, that Steve literally dropped to the floor in the middle of their apartment complex’s hallway and proceeded to pound his fists on the floor in frustration. Marcie was overjoyed at the sight of Steve’s breakdown, because it could only mean that a grand proposal was on its way.

The proposal

Indeed, “Steve’s proposal practically made world history,” so sayeth Marcie. He tricked Marcie into thinking she was going to see him in a show, and instead, invited her up onto the stage as friends and family watched him sing his original composition, “Love Song to End All Love Songs.” At the end of this emotional interlude, Steve got down on one knee and asked Marcie to marry him. Without hesitation, Marcie said, “Yes!” and grabbed the beautiful engagement ring right out of Steve’s hand before he could put it on her finger. It was a match made in heaven.

As “grown ups”

Steve and Marcie have since moved back to California, where they are attempting to be real adults. Steve landed a job at Apple Computer, and Marcie is working as a Clinical Programs Specialist at Cord Blood Registry. They are excited about moving into the next phase of their lives together. The future for Marcie and Steve undoubtedly holds many laughs, memorable events, and hopefully a lot of honey roasted peanuts.