Our Story

July 21, 2001

Everyone has a story. Some stories are forgotten, some lost, but this story will remain with us well beyond our dying day. It happened so fast and was unexpected. Picture a sunny and warm evening in East Lansing. Jill was living in Kalamazoo at the time but found her way to East Lansing with her friend. They were just planning on seeing old friends and having fun. Jeff was having coffee with some friends at a local coffee shop, just talking and enjoying the evening. Jill walked in with her friend and it turns out that Jill’s friend and Jeff knew people in common. They sat down and Jill noticed Jeff was wearing a Dave Matthews Band shirt. This sparked conversation, and as the saying goes, the rest is history.

They talked for what seemed to be hours. They talked about life, friends, family and of course, music. They both played drums, they liked the same music, it seemed they liked everything in common. After a while, they decided to leave and Jeff didn’t want Jill to go. The three of them ended up leaving together and went to get Slurpees. They walked to the local pizza house and that’s where it happened. Jill’s friend was ordering a slice of pizza and Jeff and Jill were standing off to the side by the pop machine. They were talking and laughing and then, Jill kind of ‘bumped’ into Jeff. The look that they shared at that moment still gives them goose bumps to this day. It was so exciting and that moment could live on forever. It seems everything after that was based on that moment. Something truly magical. That same night, after getting coffee, they held hands for the first time and the magical feeling was stronger than ever! At the end of the night, Jill and her friend went back to Kalamazoo, but not before Jill and Jeff agreed to see each other again the next day and shared a wonderful hug.

Their first date was incredible. It was the first time that they would be alone, just the two of them. See the Our First Date page for all of the details.