Though I changed my relationship status from "In a Relationship" to "Engaged" a few weeks ago in my Facebook profile, it's time that I just came out in a more public forum.
So here it is: I'm engaged to be married to a truly amazing woman later this year.
While we started dating late last year (mid-October to be exact), I've been pretty quiet about it online. That's partly because I didn't want to expose Kathleen to an audience of a few thousand people without knowing what might happen--she has little of an online footprint. And it's partly because it's my own damned business and private life, and sometimes there has to be a line between what's public and what's not. I'm sure you understand. :-) Oh, and I didn't want to jinx it!
Of course, the few of you who follow my Flickr photos may have seen a few pictures of her now and then, but that's really been it.
But enough about my on-line life. What you're really wondering about is who she is (and what sort of mental disorder compels her to spend time with me!). I could tell you countless great things about her (many of which I tell her on a daily basis), but I'll be brief. Kathleen was born a mere 2 weeks before me, grew up in the state of New York, attended MIT undergrad, has a PhD from Stanford, and works as a research scientist in the Bay Area. She's also a glider pilot and working on her single engine rating. She's smart, beautiful, kind, caring, and fun to be around.
We have a lot in common aside from a love of flying. We have very similar goals for the future, religious views (or lack of them), geographic preferences, choice of pets, tastes in food, vacation ideas, hobbies we wish we had time for, thoughts on whether or not (and when) to have children one day, and more. I could go on.
In short, we're very compatible. So much so that it's scary (in a good way) at times. I'd try to cite specific examples, but I'd honestly expect you not to believe me. Seriously. I can't count the number of times I've thought to myself "I can't possibly be this lucky..."
But I am.
We've had a few bumps in the road, of course. Some of them were the likely the result of the fact that I simply hadn't made dating a priority for a long time. You may recall Flying as Therapy and On Balance and Changing in recent months. There are deeper stories behind them, and I'm still in awe at the public and private responses that second one elicited. But each time we've come away stronger, knowing each other better, and even more confident about our future. It's all part of the journey.
I'm incredibly happy that we managed to find each other at times in our lives when we were both ready to find each other. But even more than that, I'm excited about the future we're going to have together.
After we've worked out more of the details, maybe I'll write a bit about our unconventional wedding plans. :-)
This is already longer than I thought it'd be, so I hereby return you to your regularly schedule geeky stuff, flying pictures, strange news, and occasional ranting--as soon as I come up with something.
Posted by jzawodn at July 28, 2007 09:25 PM
Congrats...you are a lucky man. But when you fly together who'll be in the right seat and who in the left?
Congratulations, Jeremy, she's a beautiful woman. It's really great when someone can really connect with someone else so well, and I wish you all the best. :)
Congrats and best wishes!
Oh yeah, and let me the first to recommend you elope.
Whoah! Smart and a pilot, no less. You *are* a lucky man, indeed. Congratulations to you both.
Woahh! Awesome, awesome!! A perfect match indeed!! Congrats Jeremy. Here's wishing the two of you the very best.
Congratulations, Jeremy! I hope we hear even less from you in the future :-).
I usually just read your feed, but I wanted to say congrats to the both of you and wish you the best. :)
Congrats as well! Nice to see two people sharing their interests. (And also nice to see a US woman using Blanik glider manufactured in my country.)
congrats dude! Marriage is good. Wishing you both all the best!!!
Hey Jeremy, had to pop over from RSS and just say a big congrats to the two of you! I got married just over a month ago and I'm of the opinion that it's the best time of my life! Savour every minute, take plenty of photos and watch the radiance of your beautiful bride-to-be!
Congratulations from a long time lurker on your blog, wish you both all the best for the future,
S
Woohoo!
Congrats all the way from India, Jeremy! Way to go!
Congratulations JZ!
Is it time to change your captcha yet?
Is a mile-high club, I mean wedding in order?
Jeremy - I've enjoyed your blog as a lurker for quite a while
now. Just wanted to pass along my congratulations, one geek
to another geek: it is always hard to get proper balance
in our lives, and I am glad to see you've achieved that
"next" level! Spoken as a guy who has been married 20
years and still struggles to balance married life, kids,
tech, aviation, ..... :)
Hot damn! Sara and I are both super-happy for you. Millions of congrats!
"I can't possibly be this lucky..."
This is exactly how a marriage is supposed to feel like! Jeremy, that's a GREAT news in the blog! And despite being socially and topologically far away from you, I am very happy to read this post. So, congratulations, and good luck, man! :-)
Awesome! Good luck, and feel free to move to Reno and have babies. :) Ours will need some little playmates. :D
Congrats! How does she feel marrying a celebrity of the internets? :-)
Wow! I wondered what was behind those earlier posts. Congrats!
Man, that's excellent news. Congratulations! Having seen Kathleen on some of your Flickr pics, this news does not really come as a surprise to me and no doubt other readers... You really seem happy together: enjoy it!
Congratulations Jeremy! My best wishes to both you and Kathleen! : )
Congrats! from yet another lurker coming over from the feed. :)
Congratulations Kathleen! ... and Jeremy you too. I hope you explained that Kathleen instantly inherits thousands of friends from your blogging. Sounds like a great match for both of you and I wish you both all the best.
Sweet. You picked a good guy Kathleen!
Just don't slow down his posting volume ;)
Kevin
Congrats! Does she have a sister? :-)
How did you guys meet!?!?
That's great news! Congrats and best wishes to you both. :)
Smart women make better wives:
Congratulations and God bless!
Awesome Jeremy,
Wedding bells. Do you want to share how you proposed. It would be a fun read. I am expecting a little it geeky proposal though.
Congratulations! I'm curious to hear your unconventional wedding plans. When my wife and I were married we had a small civil ceremony with only immediate family present. Then on our one year anniversary we had a big celebration that was like a more traditional wedding (complete with vow renewal, giving away of bride, wedding party, etc). Like yourself, when I met my wife I couldn't believe all the ways in which we were compatible. I still feel like the luckiest man alive. Also, because the relationship was long distance (east-coast to west-coast) we spent a grand total of 21 days together before we got married - but when you know, you know. Best wishes to you both!
Wow dude - congrats. Being married is great, even though it took me 5 years to get around to it.
So happy for you + hope to meet Kathleen one day. Does she have a blog? :)
Ben:
No blog, no. See also "she has little of an online footprint." :-)
I've read your blog for about a year (and find it very interesting) and never made any comments, so I figure if any time, this is a good time.
Congratulations to you both!
// Jocke, Sweden
Woohoo! Congrats, Jeremy! Who's flying the plane to the honeymoon destination? I want the proposal story...
I'm happy to add my congratulations to this long-and-getting-longer list - bravo!
Thank you for the congratulations.
We are both very lucky!
>>>Some of them were the likely the result of the fact that I simply hadn't made dating a priority for a long time
Been there, met you. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to change their ways... congrats to both of you - it sounds like you're both very dedicated to each other and that rocks :)
Congrats...
I agree with JR that eloping isn't a bad idea. On the other hand, if you can plan it quickly, that's not bad either. I seen otherwise sane people driven nuts by the typical one year of planning insanity. We planned ours in 3 months.
Cheers,
Randy
As parents of the bride, we were delighted to read Jeremy's blog. Kathleen is sooo pleased and happy as are all of the people in her family who know and love her.
Congratulations. Did you fly a glider with a banner for the proposal?
Good work - from breakdown to engagement in under 3 months. I wish every low point I ever had wound up so good. Congratulations and best wishes for a fantastic future.
We could not be happier for you both!
We loved your blog today...how awesome!
Enjoy the ride!
Kim and Dave (sister and brother-in-law)
great news which makes life hopeful, and i hope i am not the last person to know this story. keep watching love stories
Sounds like you've hit the lotto. Congratulations!!!
For the terminally curious, did you meet this young lady via Yahoo Personals (or another web-based dating site)?
Geeks need love, too...
No dating sites were harmed in the making of this relationship... I'll write more about that later, maybe...
You're th man, Jeremy. Congrats to you. And to you, Kathleen. Enjoy your lives together. It sounds like you already have. So maybe kick it up a notch. :)
I'm late to the party, but congratulations Jeremy. I'm really happy that you found somebody so perfect for you--its definitely a rarity in today's world.
Also, its nice to finally find out who Kathleen is; your Flickr photostream didn't give too many clues. :)
Wohooo. Lots of comments... Congrats. It's always happy to see geeks happy.
Congratulations Jeremy and Kathleen!
I got a chuckle over the "compatibility" points you discussed. Boy, do you have a lot to learn!! IMHO marriage is all about respect, but that is merely one man's viewpoint.
Go with it; and be good to each other.
I enjoy your not really random, quite interesting "bits."
I'm so happy for you, enjoy life to the fullest and be more happy. I'm happy when people find their special partner for life, it's one of the most beautiful things in our life.
A little late here, but Congratulations! I hope you guys have a long and happy life together.
Congrats! I just got married to a wonderful woman, and it's a great thing. I wish you both a lifetime of happiness together.
Congrats. I will give you the little speech I always give at every engagement/marriage occasion.
Long ago, the philosopher Socrates advised his pupils thusly: "By all means get married. If you have a good wife, you'll become happy, and if you have a bad one, you'll become a philosopher."
I thought you were already married to your blog. :P
On a more serious note, congrats. It feels great when you find the right person. Best wishes on a long and very happy life together.
Belated congrats! (I'm traveling or I'd have seen your news sooner.) What did the Russian say? There are a million ways to have a bad marriage, but only one way to have a good one?
;-)
Big congrats fron Boston! Have been reading your blog years ago since I was in China, so happy for my favorite blogger who's newly engaged!
Congratulations! It's great to have someone you can come home to and talk to about other than "shop" and other than the normal household stuff! Glad you found someone with similar non-work interests!
WTF, Not even an email to the relatives in advance???
Congrats!! For all your 'unconventional' wedding plans, be sure not to miss http://indiebride.com. :)
Way belated here:
Congratulations; that is awesome! Being married is great fun.
- ask
Also belated, but .... in the immortal words of Stephen King: may you have long lives, contented minds, and little or no lower back pain. :)
CONGRATULATIONS!! Let me know if you need any wedding research, books, planners, venues, websites, polaroids, ribbons, spreadsheets, candle holders, table number holders, picture frames or a Saison Blanche 4049 wedding dress. ;)
Jeremy,
CONGRATULATIONS! You sound like a really lucky bloke, and of course, Kathleen is getting a fantastic guy as well. :-)
May you two have many many many happy years together.
Dave
she is smart and beautiful! You are really a happy man!
Good luck!
Oh! It’s really beautiful too see that people can still love each other, and they are so happy that they actually feel the need to share that with everyone! Great!
