How We Met

Like all good Silicon Valley residents, we met on the Internet.

Kevin

Having been unceremoniously dumped in favor of a scuba diver, Kevin took some time to collect himself and then set out to find a woman who would love and cherish him, and whose extracurricular activities didn't put them in danger of shark attacks. While engaging in many of the conventional methods of meeting people, he decided "hey, why not give this Internet thing a try, too?" So he wrote a personal ad and posted it on Yahoo! Personals.

Shelby

Having recently moved from the terrifying dating scene of Southwest Missouri, Shelby found herself in a new town, knowing no one. While encouraging brother Brad to use the Internet to meet people, she decided to take her own advice.

Kevin

Kevin met a number of Interesting People through his Yahoo ad. The respondants tended to be frightening, needy and desperate, or unstinting idealists looking for the thunderbolt of true love at first sight. These people were so Interesting that Kevin decided to remove his ad from Yahoo and return exclusively to more conventional methods of meeting people.

Shelby

Shelby was dismayed by the initial offering of Yahoo personal ads. Using her careful criteria like proper spelling, a knowledge of the use of capital letters, and anyone who didn't mention sex, it looked like slim pickings. One ad did catch her eye, however. In it, the guy mentioned that he liked to read, liked ballroom dancing, and held a full time job. There was something strangely literate and concise about the ad that drew Shelby to respond. It was the first and only ad she responded to.

Kevin

The day that he was going to take his ad off, he got a reply that seemed worthy of response. After an exchange of increasingly promising emails, a phone number was offered and Kevin drew up the courage to give her a call.

Shelby

He was smart, he was funny, and he had a rat named Armando. It all seemed good. The first phone call lasted over an hour during which they discussed everything from growing up in Southern California to Scout Camp to reading. The time seemed right for a meeting.

Kevin

Kevin suggested that they meet at his workplace, Adobe Systems, and walk to one of the many restaurants in downtown San Jose. They had a pleasant dinner at Mongo's restaurant. While he didn't feel those thunderbolts he'd heard so much about, Kevin felt that the friendship was one worth pursuing.

Shelby

It was an enjoyable first date, as far as first dates go. Shelby sent Kevin a e-card thanking him for the dinner and expressing a willingness to futher the getting-acquainted process. What really impressed Shelby, however, was a few days after the date she opened her mailbox to find a handwritten thank you card from Kevin. That someone took the time to write, address, and mail a card in this electronic age really made a good impression on Shelby.

And so, time passed...

Shelby and Kevin continued to see each other casually. Kevin attended Shelby's first Cookie Party, Shelby attended Kevin's Holiday Party for work. They ice skated, saw movies, and developed a good friendship. Most importantly, Scout loved Kevin. Everything was fine, until Kevin was transferred to Hamburg, Germany for 6 months. At this point, Kevin was convinced that Shelby was most definitely exclusive dating material. Shelby, still recovering from the burn of previous relationships, was not so sure. They parted on good terms and agreed to continue the now wonderfully pleasant friendship, and to revisit the dating idea upon Kevin's return.

Kevin

Kevin threw himself headfirst into the excitement of living in a foreign country. As far as dating, however, well the situation seemed worse than Silicon Valley. Many were convinced that Kevin would return enamored with a blonde German vixen, but such vixens turned out to be few and far between. In fact, Kevin only met one, and she was already engaged. To an American. Frequent letters, phone calls, and emails to Shelby only fanned the flames and soon, Kevin was full-blown In Love.

Shelby

Shelby, on the other hand, was still wavering. She attempted Internet dating again, this time on a paid subscription service, Match.com. Through Match.com, Shelby met a variety of nice people, including one guy who took her to several San Jose Sharks Hockey games but nothing really panned out. In March, Shelby was selected to represent IBM at a conference in Barcelona, Spain. Kevin agreed to meet Shelby in Barcelona and travel Spain for a week following the conference. Unfortunately, Shelby knew that Kevin's feelings were far deeper than her own, so to avoid an uncomfortable situation in Spain, she sent Kevin The Letter. You know the one. The one that says "my feelings aren't exactly at the same level as yours are." Yeah, that one.

Kevin

After receiving The Letter, Kevin wandered the city of Hamburg in angst, staggering down rain-slicked streets and blindly riding the subway to no particular destination. Then he packed for Spain, not quite sure of what to expect. Spain turned out to be a wonderful trip. They rented a car and saw a great deal of the Spanish countryside. Their friendship proved true as they realized what compatible traveling partners they were. Shelby confirmed that The Letter's contents were in the spirit of "not yet" as opposed to "not ever." They decided to keep up the friendship until Kevin's return.

Shelby

The time apart was useful for Shelby. She did a lot of thinking about people and things, and throughout it all Kevin was a constant companion, albeit a continent away. She planned a trip to see him in Germany in August, but had to cancel at the last minute due to work demands (yes, that same company that so generously sent her to Barcelona--well, you can't have everything). Then, in late August, Kevin returned. At that point, Shelby had a few things figured out. Quite a few. She had to take a business trip to Raleigh, NC, and invited the homeless-living-in-the-San-Jose-Arena-Travelodge Kevin to stay in the condo and care for Scout while she was gone. Once she returned, well, it seemed silly to make Kevin move out.

And so it goes...

Finding themselves to be compatible house partners as well, Kevin and Shelby settled comfortably into this new life, which fit like a glove. It seemed clear that this was a really good thing, so they decided to make it a permanent thing. In November, Kevin asked Shelby's father for her hand in marriage. On December 2nd, he presented her with a beautiful custom-made engagement ring. And so they embark on their future together--Shelby as the future Little League coach, Kevin checking the math homework, and all will be right in the world. The end. Or actually, The Beginning...