A Story of Love at ...um ...Third... Sight

Once upon a time, in a land not so far away, there lived two fabulous people - Poppins and Smithwick. Poppins and Smithwick met each other twice but never noticed.

The first time occurred on a high school field trip where their schools went together to the Chicago Art Museum, yet they never said hi or anything. They were in the very same place, but completely oblivious to the others existence.

The second encounter happened about a year later when he was driving around with his best friend and Poppins was sitting with her best friend in a church parking lot waiting for choir practice to start. His BF lived a block away from the church and they were driving through the parking lot to get back to his house. They noticed us and promptly stopped because Smithwick and Poppins's BF had met before and had a crush on him. Poppins and Smithwick did not even pay attention to each other as Poppins was dating someone else and Smithwick was busy paying attention to the other girl.

Fast forward two more years....

About a month after High School graduation Poppins was out and about at "Blues on the Mall" - a weekly event held in the down town area of her home time where all her friends would meet to listen to free music and peruse for boys. Smithwick had attempted to convince his younger brother to go to Blues on the Mall because they were bored, but when his brother declined he decided to go regardless. When he saw the BF of Poppins he said hi immediately, happy to see someone he knew down there.

At this time Poppins was finally single and Smithwick caught her eye immediately and Smithwick couldn't seem to stop flirting with Poppins all night. The two joked and laughed all night, oblivious to the fact that they had already met twice. By the end of the evening phone numbers were exchanged and in an awkward moment of saying goodbye Poppins went to hug her new friend Smithwick while he had another idea ... thus creating the worst first kiss in history.

Horrible as that first kiss may have been it did not stop the two from falling immediately in love with each other and incredibly unable to spend an entire day apart and/or from talking to one another. It was a genuine story of Love at First Third Sight.

Life often got in the way, trying to tear them apart, but the two have done nothing more than prove that there is no situation they can not over come. (And believe me, they have ALL been thrown their way!) And now here...10 years, 3 months and 3 children later Poppins and Smithwick celebrate their 8th Wedding Anniversary!