Act 1 - They Meet

Act 1 - They Meet.

It was 2006 and Jenny and I were both attending Illinois Central College in East Peoria, Illinois. We had both been taking Chemistry classes and were introduced to one of the colleges most unique professors, Billy Cook. He used to sport a long rat-tail haircut that he would tuck into his lab coat when teaching labs, was fond of reading the horoscopes at the beginning of class, and loved to give 'the man' Hell....and so did we. 

I had heard about an environmental group at the school that Billy Cook ran, called the Student Association For the Environment (SAFE). I started going to meetings and quickly became the president of the group. One day, during a SAFE meeting at one of the local watering holes, some potential new members came to see what we were all about. This was the day I met Jenny and her friend Angela that talked her into going to the meeting. We were constantly fundraising to buy trees to give out on Arbor Day and to try to implement some conservation programs at the school. Jenny eventually became involved on projects and we became close friends. Here's some pictures of Jenny, Angela, and I at the Illinois Riversweep cleanup.

We both graduated ICC and Jenny went off to finish her Bachelors in Biology at ISU and I got a job as a Lab Technician at Methodist Medical Center in Peoria. We remained friends and kept in contact throughout the years.  As a side-note, I studied music before getting into Laboratory Science, and while working at my first job I formed an Irish Rock band. The group was named the Four Leaf Rovers and we became a staple of Central Illinois Irish Festivities like St Patrick's Day, Springfield Area Highland Games and Celtic Festival, and the Peoria Irish Fest to name a few.  Here are some photos of the band at work. 

Drink 'em Down

A Four Leaf Rover original

Fast forward to 2011. One fateful night, I asked Jenny to come be my partner in crime for a concert by one of my favorite Celtic bands. The Tossers from Chicago were playing a bar downstate in Champaign, Illinois and there was no way I was going to miss it. This was the night that we realized we were meant to be together, because no one else could have put up with that booze filled evening any better than she did. I left soaked in beer from the mosh pit and Jenny was in rare form herself. We spent the night together and ever since then, we couldn't get enough of each other.  Here's the ad for that show and for their album, Emerald City. 

Happily Ever After.

Stay Tuned for Act 2 - The Chase.

Act 2 - The Chase