We finally met face to face in January of 1999. Before that time, our beginnings were something less than civil and a little ironic. In a campus of 3,600 it's neither difficult to avoid someone nor to cross paths, but somehow we managed to do both.

Before January 1999, our history seems full of 'almosts' and 'just abouts' that included mutual friends, similar interests and even living in the same building without actually meeting each other. In the fall of 1998 we clashed views over a billboard discussion at St. Olaf, exchanging angry words and below-the-belt remarks. The rest of that year followed suit.

It was in January that we found out that we both had applied for the same term abroad and were accepted to spend the time in Ireland, studying the conflict in the northern territories. Despite a close call with my passport, I made it to Ireland, joining the trip late - much to Ryan's dismay -- and we finally were face to face at the beginning of the new year. The relationship was tentative at first, until one night after a few drinks at a pub we began talking. Whether it was the Guinness or the romance of a foreign country, something clicked and it worked. Rather storybook, don't you think?

Since then we've been busy getting through school, watching our families gain new members and lose some and finding wherever it is that we're supposed to be. Now we share a modest apartment in Bloomington, MN with our dog named Friday, not far from friends and family.

The Website

The evolution of the website began in July 2002, while I was spending a portion of the afternoon as I so often do; waiting for Friday. He's not slow or lazy by any means, but he's a rather interesting character whose personality seems to take over our household. And it was that afternoon that I realized just how much time I spend waiting for Friday. And then the double and triple meanings of the phrase occurred to me: waiting on Friday.

So much of our lives are spent waiting. On Monday we literally can't wait for Friday. We wait for marriage and wait for kids and wait for a skinnier, better 'us' to arrive just around the corner. We wait so much that we promise ourselves the good things that we've been holding back, just as soon as those 'Fridays' arrive and it all comes in the form of different phrases. "When I'm skinny, I'll be happy." "When I get that new raise, we'll finally take that vacation." "When I'm a millionaire, I won't have anything to worry about" and even "When I find my soul mate, my life will be complete." We're so good at waiting I sometimes wonder if we ever enjoy the moments that we're in right now. To say that I'm above this kind of behavior would be asinine. We all engage in it. But now, at least I can say I'm a little bit more aware of it.

The whole thing seemed terribly insightful on my part and not to mention, much better than registering a dull RyanandPaula.com, so the name stuck. And here we are. Still waiting on Friday.