As the summer of 1997 approached, I began to have a very strong feeling that something very special was going to happen and that I was going to meet someone. I didn't share this feeling with anyone because I had never felt anything like that before and thought my friends might think I was making it up -- especially knowing I had no male prospects in sight. I figured crazier things could happen, so I decided what would be would be, and looked to the summer with optimism.
I had decided to participate in one more share house down the jersey shore. My girlfriend had persuaded me to join because it was in Bay Head (not Spring Lake like my previous houses) and promised we'd have a great time as Bay Head was known for house parties and a slightly older crowd. I figured I had nothing to lose since I had no other plans and was turning the big 30. Little did I know that I would meet my future husband!
I met Roger at a house party my first weekend down in Bay Head. I met him and some of his housemates while waiting for my friend to return from the bathroom. I had a wonderful time talking to them and introduced them to everyone from my house. They even invited us back to their house for a late night/early morning barbeque after the party. I'd like to say, "and the rest was history", but it took another whole month for us to have our official first date.
That evening I went to Roger's house thinking my personal invite from Roger and the fact that he asked me how to spell my last name for future wedding invitations (great line for a first meeting, I thought, and which he vehemently denies ever saying to me to this day -- like it was some other guy?) meant he would hang out with me when I arrived… but he didn't. I was a bit confused, but I had copped the attitude that no guy was going to bother me that summer, and socialized with other people in his house instead. It also helped that I knew I would be bumping into him down there because our houses were so close to one another.
Throughout the month of June, we did bump into each other like I had thought, and always had a nice conversation, but that was it. A month later, on the last day of the 4th of July weekend, I decided to take a walk on the beach. While I was walking, Roger came up to me and we started talking. I don't really remember exactly what we talked about, but I remember really enjoying the conversation and his company, and feeling like we were the only two people on the beach. Afterwards he asked for my number… and the rest is history!!