A love note 11,000+ miles apart

We were both working at OpenTable. I remember turning to Andy and saying “Wait! You have a boat? Team building activity!” Poor Andy, I was his new boss, and I don’t think he knew the tornado of energy that had descended into his life. Fortunately for both of us this tornado also understood that while I had been brought up on boats also defiantly entered a junior racing week even though I hadn’t taken a lesson or soloed a boat in my life, that other people would be on the boat and we really should have someone other than Andy to make sure we got back to the dock. This tornado was not a good backup plan if something went awry.

Who knew that bashing about the San Francisco Bay with a boat full of slightly tipsy, boisterous and bold women would manifest a date with a quiet, reflective, thoughtful and curious sailor and a loud, industrious and energetic woman.

I know we didn’t.

Heck, I know many people around us thought this was an odd match.

At the beginning, we nearly didn’t make it. At the beginning the struggle between who you wanted to be (or thought you did at the time) and who I wanted to be nearly kept us apart.

But as much as we were different there was a long list of items we both loved. Everything from the muddy trails and white sands of Kauai, to the boat that was as close to home as a boat can be. I still miss Murre. She is a part of our story.

And here we are today. It’s valentine’s day, and we’re nearly 12,000 miles apart. I checked we’re as close to the other side of the planet from each other that we can get.

Such a poetic and romantic example of why our love story works. It’s our apart that makes us work.

Happy Valentine’s Day Randall!