Before living in Australia, before having children, before I had ever tried Giordano’s pizza, before buying our first home, many years ago on this day I woke up planning to go to breakfast with my new college friends. I was a transfer student at Wheaton College and several of us had made plans to go to breakfast.

When I checked in with the girls, one after another of them claimed they were too tired and every single girl backed out. Well, here I was, all dressed and ready to go. Fresh off the most amazing 18 days of my life where I had gained tons of confidence and resolve, I determined I’d just go to breakfast alone and see who I came across.

As a walked up the sidewalk toward SAGA, the old Wheaton dining hall, I spied a denim jacket with a shearling collar up ahead and I realized it was a student I had recently met named Greg Taylor. I paused for a second and then called out, “Greg?” He turned and waited for me and we ended up eating breakfast together — for three hours.

I was hooked. His warm, gentle, caring, intelligent self shone through and Made An Impression on this 20-year-old from Ohio.

September 2, 1982. 36 years ago today. I guess I had an inkling that this was something special because look what I saved:

Of all the special dates in our life together, I remember this one for being the beginning, even though it took awhile before we actually started dating.

Newspapers are no longer 25 cents, and Zingo Bingo or lottery prizes of $15,000 are nothing these days, but we’re still together. Still having breakfast together. Still sharing this good life together. Still a couple and now a family with the addition of five offspring.

Thanks, girls, for sleeping in that morning! It changed my life!

Joyfully,

Siouxsie