Five years and 20 lbs ago I met my husband Steve.

On a warm Sunday in June I ventured out to Darcy's Bistro in the Tech Center for lunch and sat a few seats away from the only other patron, some Bad Boy looking type with a mustache who was staring at the TV mounted above the bar.

I chatted with the bartender, Jane and from time to time Bad Boy with a mustache and Jane would chat.

Hell-o-oo, tall gorgeous red head with a great figure wearing a cute jean jumper sitting to your right! Are you blind?

Eventually Jane introduced me to Steve and predictably we got around to talking about our jobs. I worked Retail as a Manager for Talbot's/Kids at Park Meadows Mall and lamented a bit about the re-model that was nearing a conclusion the following week and the trials and tribulations I had suffered over the course of the past ten weeks.

" Blah, blah, blah", he must have thought, but attentively listened to my story.

Every so often he would look at me and say "Excuse Me?" like he couldn't hear what I was saying. Turns out, he couldn't hear what I was saying because he's a bit hard of hearing.

When I asked Steve his line of work he replied "Landscape Architect".

I paused for a moment and sized up his job description concluding it was a euphemism for "Guy That Plants Trees"

I have an affinity for a man with facial hair that looks like a Bad Boy and earns an honest days living working with his hands. I delivered a complimentary remark about the non-calloused condition of his hands. Steve gave me a curious look which I disregarded.

We spent a brief afternoon engaged in casual conversation and ended our encounter with me proffering my business card in case he cared to call.

Three days later (What is it with you guys and the unwritten 3-day rule?) I got a call at work and answered:

"This is Jeana".

"Hi, this is Steve"

"Steve Who"

"Steve you met at Darcy's"

I racked my brain for a guy named Steve

He paused and said "You gave me your business card"

"I give my business card to a lot of guys"

Oops, that wasn't a very good answer

He paused again and said "Excuse me?"

Oh good, he didn't hear what I said

Then it came to me...."Oh, the Landscape Guy"

"Landscape Architect!" he retorted

Yeah, whatever I thought

He asked me out on a date and I accepted.

Later, I told my girlfriend "I'm going out with this Landscape guy, but he's a bit hard of hearing so the date might be a somewhat of a challenge."

We met at the Broker at the Tech Center to listen to music and grab a bite to eat. Turned out Steve and I had a lot in common: views on politics, current events, reading, gardening and attitude in general. I liked the fact that Steve could talk about anything and demonstrated good social behavior with the crowd at the Broker that evening.

When the check arrived Steve handed his credit card to the waitress who returned a few minutes later and announced in her outdoor voice, "Sir, your credit card has been declined".

"Excuse me?" he asked. Not because he was surprised his credit card had been declined but because he didn't hear her the first time.

The waitress repeated the statement a bit louder this time. Steve took it in stride and gave the waitress cash.

The next day I told my girlfriend about the credit card incident and added that "no way" could I date someone whose credit card was declined and someone who was hard of hearing to boot.

For some reason I went out with him a few more times. If I had to repeat myself more than twice I would start signing. I found this far more amusing than Steve.

He made me laugh and paid our checks in cash.

One day he invited me to his house. When I walked in there was a big, furry, hair covered black cat sitting on the back of the couch.

"You have a cat?" asking the obvious

"His name is Batman".

Steve was not a housekeeper by any stretch of the imagination. It looked as if he never threw anything away. The apartment was littered with piles of paperwork, books and magazines dating back to the beginning of the millennium

The next day I told my girlfriend "no way" could I ever date anyone with a cat. I don't like cats and I'm severely allergic to cats. "No way" could I date a pack rat either. I lean towards Obsessive-compulsive behavior when it comes to neatness.

Soon I found myself taking anti allergens and continued to date Steve.

On one date I was talking about my daughter and making fun of her for getting a tattoo. She was in the Army so I called her "Big Bad Army Woman with a Tattoo". After I babbled incessantly about the ridiculous waste of money and the permanent alteration of ones skin Steve rolled up his sleeve to show me his brand new tattoo that he designed himself.

Oops

I told my girlfriend "no way" could I ever date anyone with a tattoo.

Steve and I bought a house last year and are happy to have a place of our own together. When we combined households he came equipped with paper and junk he'd been accumulating. He would drop a pile in the middle of the floor and I would make the pile disappear in short order. Steve marveled at my organizational skills and how "fast" I could find a home for everything. Truth is the dumpster was only twenty feet away from the house and he never missed a thing.

We share our house with three cats and Steve claims that they tell him they want a dog but I think he's making that up.

I eventually found out that Steve is not a guy who plants trees and Landscape Architect is not a euphemism like Domestic Engineer. He actually is a guy who designs communities. He even went to college and has a degree! Who knew?

Steve and I do everything together: cook, tend to our 38 house plants, watch movies, read, decorate the house and he even helps me clean. Steve has an office in the house where he hordes junk mail and magazines that I throw away periodically. Strangely, he never notices, or is secretly grateful and never mentions anything about the disappearing matter.

The only thing we don't do together is ride. Steve has a Harley and I'm scared to death of motorcycles, so if he wants to ride I just follow him in my MX-5 Miata. I swore there was "no way" I would ever marry a guy who rides a motorcycle but I love him and wouldn't change anything.