A Love Story

Flashing back to October 1997
(Circa sophomore year of high school)

The first time I ever saw Dan was when my friend Seamus, (who I met through high school Theater) and I were talking on the platform of the good old Orange Line on the 35th/Archer train stop in Chicago. I just happened to catch Seamus as I was getting off the train and he was getting on. We quickly said hi to one another and that's when I saw Dan in the background, not thinking too much of it at the time. I was beginning to develop a little crush on Seamus, and so were a ton of other girls at my high school. (It wasn't 'til later on in life I would learn that Jim wasn't interested in female companionship.) Did I mention I went to an all girls high school? Well, anyway I did and anytime a cutie was in sight, you better believe that one of us teenage girls were drooling over him. Anywho, after getting to know Seamus for a few weeks through Theater, I found out we had a lot in common and we quickly became friends. My parents were always very strict when it came to dating, meaning I was not allowed to have a steady boyfriend until I was sixteen. Come to think of it, I wasn't even allowed to go on actual dates (except dances and that did not include the after dance festivities). Nevertheless, at the time I was dating a smart and very dull guy named Brady. We met back in grammar school through little league. Brady lived fairly close to my family, but I only rode my bike sneaking to see him a few times throughout the duration of our two month relationship. There were no sparks in our courtship or my boring teenage love life.

At the time, my high school was putting on the production "Anne of Green Gables". After hearing from our friend Seamus that our school production of "Anne of Green Gables" needed another guy for the role of a priest, Dan tried out and got the role. Dan and Seamus also went to the same single sex high school and were very good friends. They were also very active in their high school's Theater program. You can only imagine the excitement they must of felt being in the presence of so many girls! The first time Dan and I officially met we were standing behind a convenience store with some friends smoking cigarettes before play practice began. I thought he was really cute, but that I'd never stand a chance with him. Besides that fact that I had already had a boyfriend, Dan was/is quite the looker and caught the attention of several other girls. Until...one day at play practice I was wearing a t-shirt that he said he liked and Dan kept hugging me over and over again. I thought it was kind of unusual, but hell I liked him, so what did I care? After that Dan and I began talking a lot more.

My high school's annual Homecoming dance was just around the corner, and I took my very nice, but dull boyfriend Brady. Dan went with a girl that he graduated grammar school with and I was so jealous. When I saw him that night he gave me a warm hug and told me that I looked beautiful. My own date didn't even comment on how I looked. Anywho, the whole night we exchanged glances, even while we were slow dancing with our dates. Shortly after that dance, Dan and I talked about the possibility of us going out and it made me want to dump Brady...so I did. One night I called Brady and told him that we never really see each other or spend time together and that it would be better if we were just friends. I ended our two month high school fling in a record breaking three to five minute phone conversation. Needless to say, we didn't remain friends. The next day I was ecstatic to see Dan and tell him that I broke it off with Brady. The very same day he asked me to be his girlfriend outside of my high school on a bench next to the softball field. I tried not to appear too excited, but I was and of course I said yes. ;)

Our 1st picture together a few weeks after we began dating, November 1997

To make an even longer story short, Dan and I began our journey as boyfriend and girlfriend without the permission of our parents. We did a lot of sneaking around to see eachother, and shortly after the Valentine's Day of 1998, we were busted for sneaking him over to my house when my parents weren't home. It was such a clever plan and we never would have gotten caught if my grandmother didn't have super power ears and hear Dan leave from our upstairs apartment that night. Anywho, after my parents found out that Dan snuck over, my mom raided my room and found some not-so-parent-friendly notes. My poor little sister Ryan, who I shared a room with at the time knew the raid was coming and tried to hide all my notes and important information for me. Anywho, out of all the notes she gathered, she missed one...and boy oh boy was it the wrong note to miss. After my parents read it, I was basically on jail watch. I'm telling you though, Dan and I were so crazy for eachother we still found ways to sneak and see eachother. I ended up getting a D in Driver's Ed because I'd ditch class to meet Dan at the Orange Line to exchange kisses and notebooks that we wrote for one another. Some may think that was stupid, but when you love someone that much, the risk is worth it.

In the late Spring of 1998 I was spending the night at an old friend's house when I used her phone to sneak and call Dan. His sister answered, said he wasn't home and dropped a bomb on me that I was anything but ready for. She told me that they had just found out Dan had cancer, in particular Hodgkins Disease. I was in total disbelief and couldn't believe it. When I got home that night, Dan and I told my parents the awful news and begged them to let me see Dan. After crying for what seemed like forever, they said okay. From then on, they very slowly started letting Dan come around more and more. Dan began Chemo and radiation, and thankfully, by the end of that summer he was in remission!



The above picture was taken in June of 1998 at my parent's house for Frema's college going away party

He still goes for yearly checkups to make sure that everything is okay with him, and thank God it is. When Dan had cancer, he never complained or questioned why this was happening to him.

Junior Year of H.S. Homecoming 1999

In fact, he actually said it was cool because he was exempt from a few finals due to chemo treatments! ;) Talk about an optimist. Dan's told me on several occasions that he's glad he had cancer, because that was what allowed us to see eachother. Back when we were fifteen I was completely head over heels for him, and now as a grown woman, I love him even more than I ever thought possible.

The below picture is from our junior year of college, 2002



We began dating our sophomore year of highschool, and continued throughout four years of college, where he went to the University of Illinois and I went to St. Joseph's in Indiana. Through the years we've definitely had our share of "on and off time", but always found our way back to eachother. This post was originally intended for Valentine's Day, to reminisce our relationship throughout the years. Once I started writing though, all of these memories and feelings started flooding me. I feel so blessed to have such true happiness and love with Dan. We're only twenty-four years old and will have been together for nine years this October 16th. I thank God everyday for the many blessing he has bestowed on me...and Dan will always be on the top of that list.

San Diego, California October 2005