Life conspired a very long-term plan to bring Stephen and me together. Before our fateful meeting most of our twenties were spent in uncertainty; we each constantly questioned our choices and could not always see the promise of joy on the other side. And yet -- every moment, every choice of fight or flight, turned out to be an uncanny and meticulously precise calculation in the grand sum of us.

The first time Stephen and I hung out socially, after class at Studio Incamminati with a few other classmates, we knew each other so little we couldn’t even be called friends. We sat over cocktails talking about someone else’s marriage, and I defined my opinion of what an ideal union should be. “Whoa, Annalisa,” he joked. “We’re not married yet.” I was nuts. So boldly, blushing as I looked at this handsome, tall, virtuous, idealistic boy, I said, “Do you want to be?”

I guess he did.

Stephen had been living in Minnesota, at a wonderful atelier where he was loved and celebrated by his colleagues. From what I've been told, leaving was exceptionally difficult; his decision was drenched in uncertainty. There were so many reasons for him to stay in this situation, in a home so warm and supportive. But, still he came. Up to that point and for the next 9 months, there was never a single reason to believe something divine and ethereal would blossom between us. But, still we came.