James and Christia first met at church and happened to attend the same junior high.  James was not quite twelve, and Christia was not quite thirteen.  James knew even then that he’d met The Girl of His Dreams.  Christia’s self-esteem was not such that she could be a member of a club that would have her.  They were friends as much as a boy and girl can be friends at that age; they played pool and air hockey in the youth room and chatted in the gym bleachers during a shared PE class.  Matt Johnson (no relation) said James would never get Christia because she was out of his league.  Matt has been proven WRONG!!!

Sometimes Christia’s mom took pity on James and gave him a ride home in her Supra since he had to skateboard home with a trumpet case in tow.  Sometimes Christia’s mom was very late picking her up after school or band practice, and James would stay with her so she wouldn’t be a little girl sitting all alone.  He once tried to teach her how to play his trumpet.  Well played, sir, well played.  Once, mom was so late that Christia got worried, so James walked to McDonalds with her in search of a pay phone.  (It was the ‘80s.  That’s how people had to do it back then!)

James’s family started attending another church, and the kids never had another class together, so their paths rarely crossed for many years.  James went into the Navy, and Christia went to college.  But James never stopped dreaming of His First Love.

Flash forward to Saturday, June 6, 2015, a date forever known as Sidewalk Day.  After nearly three decades, James and Christia came face to face on the, you know, sidewalk.  Fireworks burst (but silently, as Christia has a fear of loud, sudden noises…don’t bring balloons around her), and unicorns danced amidst rainbows (not at Candy Mountain, Charlie!).  The following Tuesday, they stayed on the phone until literally 5 am, despite being decades too old to do that and then go to work.  Seriously, who does that when they are 40???

Their first date was that Thursday at Bonefish Grill, in the booth under the watchful eye of the lovely painted fish.  They still always request that booth if it is available.  Eventually the staff will need to put a plaque on that booth…at least they should anyway.  The two have been inseparable ever since with their weird jokes and general dorkiness.  

A lot has happened in the eight years following Sidewalk Day.  Things were great and didn’t really need to change.  Not everyone is into the concept of ‘being married.’  However, James has wanted to marry Christia since 1986, so sometime around the end of 2022 or beginning of 2023, she finally said “okay, fine,” and now here we are, making it legal in November 2023!