How We Met

In February 2021, the Snowmageddon in Austin drove Julia to seek electricity and heat, and a benevolent Anna Wascher offered a powered sanctuary in the leafy confines of Tarrytown. That started an incredible friendship which continues to this day.

John and Anna had known each other for over a decade from the NYC family office investing community, and when she moved to Austin, they caught up over lunch. She worked her magic in making a variety of connections...and ours would be one of them.

Anna convened a Labor Day pool party in September of 2021, which included as guests both Julia and John. They met at the island in the kitchen, and while I would say that the rest is history, it took another dose of serendipity at a Formula 1 party at the end of October to light the fire. At the end of that evening, numbers were exchanged, and John was entered in Julia’s phone as “John Pool Party” (to delineate him from all the other Johns she was being introduced to). That contact label persists to this day.

The Courtship

The first official date was at the Soho House, and we went on to explore Austin in the following weeks. With Thanksgiving approaching, John asked “What are your plans?” Julia, it turned out, was heading to visit her sister Liz in La Jolla, CA....as it turns out just three blocks from where John’s plans were taking him to visit his brother’s family for the same holiday. They spent every morning of the Thanksgiving holiday walking through La Jolla with their coffees from Pannakin. Those walks in La Jolla is where we first really got to know each other.

Trips ensued to New York City, Philadelphia, NYE in Las Vegas, Aspen, Miami, Mykonos/Athens, Morocco, Vienna, and Amsterdam: avoiding Covid (except once), laughing hysterically, and managing lost luggage on a Christmas trip (all clothes for the trip were purchased in a mall in Marrakech).

We can’t overstate the joy generated by spending time with our friends. To name just a few who have played a role in our story: Anna and Noah (mentioned above!); Dave Kirchhoff and Caroline Goodner, our partners in crime in Austin and elsewhere; Donald Park and Andy Tryba; Sheena Paul who brought Julia to that fateful F1 party (that coincidentally Donald and Andy had invited John to.) Lesson: it takes a village.

The Proposal

John snuck the engagement ring into his carry-on for the flight to Boston for Labor Day 2023, 2 years after they met in Austin at Anna’s pool party. John kept his proposal plans secret from all and hoped it wouldn’t be too obvious when he suggested Little Compton, RI for the trip.

Carrying the ring in a tightly clutched beach bag, John suggested they put their chairs on a secluded beach that had been a favorite of Julia’s...with the one major issue being it was not secluded on this day. John trusted an alternative moment on the walk home would present itself: fortunately, a secluded bend in the road overlooking the bay and beach revealed itself, and he dropped to one knee.

Hobbies

She would never admit it, but Julia has an incredible voice and has weekly singing lessons. John has ZERO artistic talents (we will leave out the Toby Keith karaoke song in Fredericksburg), but Julia took mercy and gave him guitar lessons for Christmas last year so there’s hope for his right brain. The reverse can be observed on the ski slopes, where John's prowess is evident as he tackles black diamonds, while Julia cautiously carves her way down greens.

Family

Julia had the great fortune of being born to Debbie and Bill Richards, and they helped influence her into the incredible woman she is today. They have both given her a variety of passions, talents, and skills: one of which is cooking. Julia is humble about her skills and simply loves it, but John will shout from the rooftops that he is the willing beneficiary.

John's wonderful mother, Janice, lives in Cincinnati. It's not hard to see where John gets his personable nature. Janice loves to strike up conversations with anyone and everyone - on the street, at a restaurant, or on one recent trip that John and Julia took to Cincinnati, outside of Grater's ice cream shop. John's beloved dad, William, is no longer with us, but passed on a kind heart and love of family to all of his children.

Our Rhode Island History

Julia spent idyllic summers since her early days in nearby Little Compton, RI ,then attended Brown, so has a very strong bond with the area.

John’s uncle Capt. David Somers was a career Naval officer and was posted to Newport twice and was also a professor at the Naval War College. His uncle’s great interest in sailing and the America’s Cup races in Newport captured John’s imagination as a young landlocked Midwesterner.