“Do you have an email address…”

Two years ago today, those words changed my life. At the time, I was in the process of finalizing a long overdue divorce, I was at the end of a horrendous 6-month training block, and I was about to begin an even more horrendous Tri racing season.

On this day two years ago, I was sitting in my office, answering emails and doing general work, when a pop-up appeared in the lower right corner of my screen announcing an incoming email. The only thing I saw in the notification was the name of the sender: “Sheila Farrell”. My heart stopped. My world stopped. Sheila had been my very first girl friend at age 15. Even though we drifted apart in high school, deep down I guess I always knew that she had been “the one”. Over the years I had heard about what she was up to. I would run into her older sister occasionally, and her dad had been a very good friend of mine over the years.

I opened the email. It had been sent to our web master and was automatically (immediately) forwarded to me. All it said was “Do you have an email address for Doug Johnston… “ signed by Sheila Farrell. I clicked reply and typed (in CAPS) “OH MY GOD!” and hit send. I sat there stunned… Then I thought “that wasn’t much of a reply after 36 years". So, I immediately sent another email saying hello, how are you and how did you find me (I was living in Chicago and she was in Minneapolis).

I remember the looks on the faces of Laura, Michelle and Scott a few days later in Galena when I excitedly told them about the email. I must have looked like an school boy, and they surely thought I had completely lost it. Inside, I smiled. Already, I knew.

Over the course of the next few weeks we emailed and talked almost every day. Two weeks later, I went to Minneapolis (for a triathlon of course). Within 48 hours we were engaged to be married, and by August we were married. During the past two years, there hasn’t been a single day where I didn't absolutely know this was the best thing that had ever happened to me. I love Sheila more and more every day, and each night when we lay together in bed I am completely and totally content.

So, to answer the original question, “Yes” the company did have my email address – Thank God! And thank you Sheila for reaching out to me - again!

See you out there.

Doug