Our Story
Here is a brief overview of the history of Beth & Jonathan
How we met
Set in the lavish offices of Informa PLC's Westborough, MA offices, Beth & Jonathan's first encounter was a telephone interview. Beth's best friend Anne Marie had recruited Beth to come work in her small team at Informa. The team rents out the mailing lists of Informa's various customer lists to third parties (boo! spam! junk mail!).
Said team reports to Jonathan. Beth's resume was passed to Jonathan and he and Beth had a quick telephone interview to assess her qualifications. NOTE: That phone interview might not have been very memorable, but I (Jonathan) do seem to have a recollection that Beth thinks that Jonathan sounds "hot".
A face-to-face interview is scheduled and conducted shortly thereafter. Beth is secretly told that she already has the job and that the interview is just part of the process. The interview happens, she gets the job and soon 2 lives are changed forever.
Little does Jonathan know, but that staffing decision ends up being the best one of his career.
The company's holiday party later that year offers a chance to interact on a more social level. Beth's dancing display catches Jonathan's eye (specifically her ability to get one of their more reserved co-workers out on the dance floor). A short discussion ensues and a challenge (bet) is issued - Jonathan bets she can't get that same co-worker get back on the dance floor again. Beth accomplishes the feat and Jonathan loses the bet.
The next week, payback comes in the form of a free lunch for Beth at a local sandwich shop (big spender!). The courtship begins.
The engagement
I surprised Beth with a weekend trip to Kennebunkport, Maine. She was told to pack a bag and be prepared to take a drive.
After navigating with some traffic leaving the area, we made it up to Kennebunkport and checked in to the Kennebunkport Inn. After some brief preparation, we headed out to dinner at Pier 77 in Cape Porpoise. We had a quiet table overlooking the harbor (although fog and low-tide did not make it a glorious view).
We started with an adult cocktail and appetizers. Shortly thereafter, the piano player began to play. His interesting musical selections instantly caught our ear. We both said, is that Coldplay? when "Viva la Vida" began to play. We had a quick laugh about how funny it would be if Journey's "Don't Stop Believing" were to come on soon. After a lovely version of Night Ranger's "Sister Christian", we knew that something special was going on. I mean, who hears "Sister Christian" randomly at a nice restaurant on the piano?
What came next just seemed too right to pass up. Yes, Journey was next. While I had a very simple proposal plan (before dessert, after a couple of drinks), I had to throw that plan out the window. After successfully extracting the box with the ring from my jacket, I got down on a knee and popped the big question. Oh wait, I can't forget that Beth first asked me "What are you doing?".
And before I could even get the question out, she said YES.
So, for the rest of our lives, Journey's "Don't Stop Believing" will have special meaning for us. Yes, Beth has sang karaoke to the song. Yes, it was used in the final episode of the Sopranos. Yes, we have shared a Journey concert and heard it live. But, most importantly, it was playing on the night we got engaged. Plus, when it comes on at bars and parties, most people really love to hear and love to sing along!
In hindsight, Beth noticed some of my recent strange behavior had a good explanation. Earlier that week, I was acting weird about my backpack at home - and I made a point to "hide" it upstairs when we were out of town the previous weekend for a night. Why did I do that? Oh yes, the ring was in that bag. When we were packing to go to Maine, I was spending an inordinate amount of time picking out clothes (even involving Beth in the decision making process). For someone that used to travel very regularly, packing was never an issue. I guess I wanted to have the RIGHT outfit on for the special night. Finally, on our walk in to the restaurant, Beth reached out for my hand as she walked on the gravel parking lot. I basically knocked her hand away and didn't help her. Why? She reached for my hand, but it was in my pocket and (of course) the ring was in that pocket. So, I switched to her other side and helped her cross the parking lot.
