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 How We Met
In September of 1997, we met at an introductory ballroom dance class at The Portsmouth Ballroom in downtown Portsmouth, NH. Jessica was there as a student; Robert was an instructor in training. We danced with different partners that night, but we chatted at the end of the lesson, and had our first date the following week. We continued dating for two years, then went our separate ways when Jessica went to graduate school in Delaware. After getting her M.A., Jessica returned to New England and we were happily re-united.
The Proposal
In September of 2006, we were in Chicago, briefly visiting Robert’s Aunt and Uncle Duffley on our way out to California to see Jessica’s family. We spent one day exploring the city, taking an architecture tour by boat and visiting the Art Institute.  Neither of us had been to the city before, and we were both especially excited to see Georges Seurat’s A Sunday on La Grande Jatte—a painting that is the subject of one of our favorite musicals, Stephen Sondheim’s Sunday in the Park with George. Right there, in front of the painting, Robert got down on one knee and produced a sparkly ring! Jessica was very pleasantly surprised, and she happily accepted!
 About Jessica
Jessica grew up in Los Altos, California, but she became interested in New England’s history and in nonprofit work while attending Williams College in Williamstown, Massachusetts. She currently works as Director of Development & Community Relations for The Birchtree Center, a not-for-profit organization that offers educational programs for children and youth with autism in Portsmouth, NH. She has also worked at the Newport Historical Society (RI), Mystic Seaport (CT), Strawbery Banke Museum (Portsmouth, NH), Plimoth Plantation (MA), Food History News, and the Chester County (PA) Historical Society. At right, you can see her portraying Fear Allerton at Plimoth Plantation. She enjoys singing classical choral and solo music.
About Robert
Robert grew up in Exeter, New Hampshire, and studied graphic design at the Maine College of Art. He is an illustrator and graphic designer who currently works at Harbour Light Strategic Marketing in Portsmouth, NH. He has done design and illustration work for magazines, websites, product packaging, theatrical posters, and three children’s books. You can see examples of his work at www.robertsquier.com.
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