Agnes and I met at a very vulnerable time in our lives 10 years ago. I had moved to Prospect Heights 2 years prior and had wondered what the green monster was across the street from me. I knew I was in some kind of natural area but there had to be more to it. I saw evidence of work being done circa 2014, but who was doing it? I was unhappy in marriage and just wanted something meaningful to fill the void. Something I could finally believe in. I looked for about 6 months for any signs of worker activity to no avail. I worked in Wheeling at the time and came home for lunch every day to see the weiner dogs and force a moment of solitude on a dismal day in the life of a Creative Director. On one of those days, a neighbor whom I had just gotten to know, stopped me and said, "I think they are working over on the other side of the Slough,” (the natural occurring wetland that just happened to be encased in invasive buckthorn across the street from my house). Finally! I raced over faster than my heart was beating and pulled up to where two people were cutting buckthorn. "Are you the people working on the restoration of the Lagoon?" I said emphatically. I was not prepared for the onslaught of verbal reprimand I received from Agnes for calling the Slough a Lagoon. You would have thought I had killed her dog and eaten it. Ten minutes of history lesson later, she replied, " Why yes, we are the Prospect Heights Natural Resources Commission and yes you can volunteer. We work every other Sunday year-round." I left bewildered and excited. On one hand I had no idea what had just happened, but damn sure I would never call it a Lagoon again! On the other hand, there was a spark I could not deny that had totally intrigued me. In those brief 10 minutes that seemingly lasted a week, I saw insight into the smartest person I had ever met in my life and a passion for the environment I had never seen before. Her intellect is still today, a force of nature I may never understand. Fast forward a few months of working together and a budding relationship based on intellectual compatibility, trust, respect, personal drive, intestinal fortitude, music, laughter and love magically appeared. We finished each other’s sentences before they were ever spoken. I had found the most intriguing, kind, generous, exciting, beautiful, best friend and wonderful soulmate I had been looking for all of my life! The rest is history.