(NOTE: THIS STORY IS MORE ENTERTAINING IN PERSON WHEN YOU GET A LITTLE BIT OF WINE IN US, BUT IN THE INTEREST OF POSTERITY, WE WILL ATTEMPT TO DO IT JUSTICE HERE. AND FOR FUN WE WILL REFER TO OURSELVES IN THE THIRD PERSON.)

ALDEN AND MISSY MET IN THE YEAR 2001 AT CALIFORNIA INSTITUTE OF THE ARTS, WHERE MISSY WAS GETTING HER MASTERS IN ANIMATION AND ALDEN WAS STUDYING MUSIC & COMPOSITION.
MISSY SPOTTED ALDEN ON THE HIGHWAY OVERPASS THAT THE UNFORTUNATE CALARTS STUDENTS WHO DIDN'T HAVE CARS HAD TO WALK OVER TO GET TO THE GROCERY STORE.

IT WAS UNUSUAL TO SEE SOMEONE AT CALARTS YOU'D NEVER SEEN BEFORE-- IT'S SUCH A SMALL SCHOOL THAT IF TWO PEOPLE HADN'T LAID EYES ON EACH OTHER BEFORE, IT PROBABLY MEANT THAT ONE OF THEM WAS ANIMATOR. MISSY WATCHED ALDEN WALK BY AND SAID TO HER ROOMMATE MIRANDA, "THAT IS THE CUTEST BOY I'VE EVER SEEN! WHO IS THAT CUTE BOY?"

FOR SEVERAL WEEKS, ALL MISSY'S FIVE ROOMMATES HEARD ABOUT WAS "CUTE BOY." WHO WAS CUTE BOY? WHICH DEPARTMENT WAS HE IN? (MISSY GUESSED MUSIC DUE TO THE FACIAL HAIR AND DARK-RIMMED GLASSES). HOW WOULD SHE FIND HIM AGAIN?

IT WASN'T UNTIL THE WEEK BEFORE VALENTINE'S DAY, WHEN MISSY WAS IN THE COMPUTER LAB DESIGNING INVITATIONS TO THE ANTI-VALENTINE'S PARTY THAT SHE AND HER ROOMMATES WERE PLANNING, THAT SHE SAW CUTE BOY AGAIN. THERE HE WAS, SITTING 2 ROWS AWAY! "THIS IS PERFECT!" MISSY THOUGHT. SHE COULD JUST PRINT OUT AN INVITATION AND HAND IT TO HIM! SHE COULD SAY, "HI! I'M HAVING A VALENTINE'S PARTY NEXT WEEK. YOU SHOULD COME."

BUT SHE CHICKENED OUT.

FAST FORWARD TO THE NIGHT OF THE PARTY. WHO RANDOMLY WALKS IN? CUTE BOY!! TOTALLY OUT OF THE BLUE. MISSY GASPED, TOLD HER FRIEND JULIETTE, "THAT'S THE CUTE BOY!!"

JULIETTE, WITH A CALM DETERMINATION THAT MISSY IS GRATEFUL FOR TO THIS DAY, GRABBED MISSY BY THE ARM, MARCHED HER ACROSS THE ROOM AND SAID TO CUTE BOY, "HI. I'M JULIETTE. AND THIS IS MISSY."

AFTER THE INITIAL PANIC WORE OFF, MISSY LEARNED THAT CUTE BOY'S NAME WAS ALDEN, THAT HE GREW UP IN PARIS, THAT HE WAS INDEED A MUSICIAN, AND THAT HE HAD WALKED INTO THE PARTY RANDOMLY AFTER LEAVING LEFT A LESS HAPPENING PARTY NEXT DOOR. THEY SPENT THE NEXT THREE HOURS TALKING, AND MISSY SENT ALDEN HOME WITH 6 CDS AND HER PHONE NUMBER (A VERY SMART MOVE). THEY WENT ON THEIR FIRST DATE A WEEK LATER AND HAVE BEEN TOGETHER EVER SINCE. ALDEN COMPOSED THE MUSIC FOR MISSY'S ANIMATED FILM, AND MISSY PICKED UP THE ELECTRIC BASS TO PLAY ON ALDEN'S SONGS. THE PAIR MOVED IN TOGETHER IN BROOKLYN, STARTED A WEB DESIGN COMPANY, ADOPTED A DOG, AND THE REST IS HISTORY.

IN THE COMING YEAR, WE PLAN TO APPLY FOR ARTIST GRANTS AND RESIDENCIES TO PURSUE OUR LONG-NEGLECTED PERSONAL FILM AND MUSIC PROJECTS. IF YOU HAVE A COTTAGE, SUMMER HOME, SECOND APARTMENT, SHACK IN THE WILDERNESS OR OTHER SUCH DWELLING WHERE WE CAN TAKE A BREAK FROM OUR CRAZY LIVES TO WORK ON OUR APPLICATIONS, THAT WOULD BE THE WEDDING GIFT FROM HEAVEN! WE PLAN TO SUBLET OUR APARTMENT FOR 2-4 WEEKS- IT COULD BE ANY TIME OF YEAR, ANYWHERE IN THE WORLD. EMAIL US!