Y2K was an era that was all about dial up internet, baggy clothes, Nokia/Sidekick phones, and burning CDs with music downloaded from Naptster or Limewire. Somewhere in all that early-2000s glory, I was reconnected with Jocelyn, who I initially met in high school. She was the most beautiful down to earth girl that wouldn't give me the time of day. It was either that or I never built up enough courage to talk to her at the time...

In 2002, fate brought us back together as we ended up in the same class in college. This time around I was determined to win her over. There was competition just as before, so I had to act fast! Even though I was already rolling on perfect A's and did all my homework, I had to play dumb. I decided to initiate conversation by asking Jocelyn for her notes and homework to copy. Shockingly, my plan worked as this cool girl from high school happily agreed to help me!!!

This led to our first date that was centered around a fun snowboarding trip that didn't turn out as planned. I figured I could impress her with my snowboarding skills, but that quickly went out the window. I was carving too hard, caught an edge, and ended up sliding down the hill like a yard sale; hat, gloves, and pride scattered everywhere. Just as I made a total fool of myself, Jocelyn caught up to me laughing so hard she could barely stand. She looked down at me and said " that was the most athletic thing I've ever seen you do."

Over the years, we built a relationship full of little adventures and a lot of laughter. There was the time we got hopelessly lost because I refused to admit I needed directions, and the time I tried to teach her to do the running man, only for me to crush her toes so many times. They do say Love is Pain and Pain is Love Right? It literally was in this case!

Fast forward to today, and I’m about to marry the girl who roasted my lack of muscles and laughed at my epic snowboarding fail. Jocelyn has been my partner, my co-pilot, and my favorite person for over two decades. We created a lovely baby girl (Brooke) and baby boy (Blake) who bring so much joy and happiness to our lives.

If 2002 me could see where we are now, he’d probably be amazed that Jocelyn stuck around after that first snowboarding trip. But here we are, proof that bad jokes and even the worse wipeouts can lead to something amazing. A lot of people thought that Y2K was going to be the end of the world. For us, it was the beginning. I know I've found the OANH and only for me!!!

After Party