Our Story

Erin and TJ have known of each other for a long time, they went to Pleasant Valley High School and Iowa State University together, but never once talked to one another. TJ lived in Des Moines after graduating and Erin moved to Chicago. In 2007 TJ landed a job in downtown Chicago. Coincidentally it was only a block away from Erin's office. Which meant - same train stop, same lunch spots AND same morning coffee. After years of following each other around they were finally bound to run into one another.

Erin's Story

The whole saga started with me walking around on my lunch break. I was very intrigued by the street artist across Jackson. As nonchalantly as I could I wondered over there to see what this "contraption" was that was making such an awful noise. At this point I saw this welded together "instrument". Embarrassed at my own curiosity I ducked into the Barnes & Noble that was right there, grabbed a coffee and scooted back to work. I noticed a Facebook from TJ Mapes, thought to myself, wasn't that guy in some band or something in H.S. The note read something like "thought I saw you downtown Chicago today, maybe I am crazy." I found TJ's IM and messaged him to make sure he didn't see me looking like an idiot. He did... and agreed that the musician was terrible. We had a great online conversation at work that day, finding out that we have so much in common.

Throughout the next several weeks we chatted online here and there. I decided that I needed to spend some face time with him so started strategizing about how I would get him to ask me out. After several failed attempts I decided that TJ probably wasn't into me or was dating someone else. I knew I had to do one last suicide mission before I gave up. And oh how perfectly the situation presented itself...

It was a friday night, I had decided earlier it was popcorn, computer and chick-flick night.. so I wasn't going to go out with my friends. TJ was online and somehow started a conversation about pool (billards). I told him he should teach me because I was no good. He said: "you name the time and i'll teach ya". This was at about 12:00 at night. I told him to meet me at 1:00 AM at "Nicks" (knowing that if he said no - he was not adventurous enough for me). I have to say, I was surprised when he said "ok". That night I let him win at pool.. but haven't since.

TJ's Story

I have to say, I'll never forget seeing Erin for the first time. I was just on my way back from lunch downtown Chicago when I looked over to the cross walk and saw what I thought was a familiar face. This beautiful woman was walking like she was on a mission. I thought to myself, "Was that Erin Hupp from High School? No way, what are the odds I'd know someone smack dab in the middle of downtown Chicago." Even if I wanted to go talk to her, there was no way I was going to be able to catch her, so I just went back to work.

When I got back to my desk she was all I could think about so I quickly (and nerdily) logged into Facebook, found her and sent her a message. Shortly after I found out that that woman I saw on a mission was indeed Erin.

From that day forward we talked online and we found out we had similar interests as well as the exact same profession. In fact, we only worked about a block from each other which was crazy considering how large even just downtown Chicago is.

Since Erin explained lots already I'll share one more thing I remember, our first face to face conversation. Or should I say secret, awkward spy mission hand off of a USB drive full of music.

Erin and I agreed we'd meet each other after work down by the red line train stop just outside the front door to my office building to exchange some music.

When I got off I walked outside to meet her and saw her standing there with her bag over her shoulder. She had her headphones on which now I think is funny because she only had to walk about a block to meet me. Did she even have time to listen to a full song?

I'm sure she wasn't as nervous as I was to meet her. We talked a little about who knows what and she handed me the drive containing the music she wanted me to check out. I remember easing towards the stairs to the train to help move things along so the awkwardness would end sooner. We talked a little more as we descended into the tunnel and then said our good byes and took our separate trains home.

The rest as they say is history!