"Huh....how do I not own a hair dryer...?" Stephanie wondered aloud. No matter, she glossed on some lipstick and swiped on mascara and then the four of us were out the door. We piled into the car and arrived at our destination for the evening: a restaurant featuring an extensive and elaborate whiskey menu. Obviously, Stephanie and Daniel had done their research on us. After a couple rounds, a pickle plate, and a shared verse of "happy birthday" with the neighboring table, we were in the car headed back to Stephanie and Daniel's house. It was a chilly California night and we scurried inside to wait for the elevator just as a delivery man entered.
Daniel reached for the brown paper Amazon Prime Now bag and said,"oh, is that for me?" Stephanie laughed and said, "I don't think that's yours," while Daniel opened the bag. Speedily, Daniel quipped, "You're right. It's yours," and tossed her the contents of the brown paper bag: a hair dryer he'd ordered while she'd been swiping and glossing.
One beat of stunned silence, we burst into surprised laughter and Stephanie awarded Daniel with a gleeful kiss.
I first met Stephanie over 5 years ago when she was a bridesmaid in Erin & Paul's wedding. We bantered back and forth that day and eventually became Facebook friends. Several months later, my dad died and I received a heartfelt letter from Stephanie--she shared that her dad was sick and would soon by dying as well. For the next several years our friendship was been punctuated by check-ins on important days: Christmases, birthdays, Father's day. There's a certain type of kinship that comes from sharing the experience of losing a parent; somedays her messages felt like a much needed hug from an old friend.
During that time, Stephanie became a fan of our work and promised that when she met the right guy we'd be there to document it. Enter Daniel. He builds robots and takes tinkering in the kitchen just as seriously. He likes a good laugh and, obviously, a good surprise. And, he loves our friend Stephanie.
Stephanie & Daniel, thank you for being such considerate hosts. We can't wait to see you in May!
