[Jeff Higgins]

My wife and I ran in the same loose circle for years; most of the way through school and then for a few years after. We knew each other, but never really even thought about dating or anything. Her boyfriend (still a good friend of ours, by the way) dumped her, and another mutual friend arranged a "sympathy date" for her. He asked me to take her out so she wouldn't sit around and mope. So I did. No big deal; nothing noteworthy. Months later we were still going out when neither of us had anything better to do. We dated for months before I ever even kissed her, where "normally" it was a date or two and straight to the sack. Two years later we were married. We have been married for 22 years now, and grow closer each year.