We’re so excited to celebrate with you!

It all started with a typewriter. Benoit was at a flea market in Paris and saw a typewriter that caught his eye. He thought about buying it to decorate his apartment, and then changed his mind. He went home, and changed his mind about changing his mind. By the end of the day, Benoit bought the typewriter. The typewriter spent two months sitting on his shelf untouched, but stylish. One day, Benoit decided to do research on the typewriter. He discovered that it was built in Hartford, CT during the industrial revolution. Researching Hartford gave Benoit the idea for his first novel. To get started, he decided to go to the USA for the first time. There, he planned to go to NYC, Hartford (of course), and Boston. It was a normal evening for Mary. She was cooking dinner and absent-mindedly scrolling through a dating app. At the same time, Benoit happened to be in Hartford. These two circumstances resulted in them beginning to talk. Benoit's first question was "What drives you in life?". This lead to a long conversation about Mary's passion for singing, and Benoit's passion for writing. Mary was at first unaware that Benoit was currently living in France. It was a funny coincidence that she had been scheduled to sing in a choral festival in France that summer. Soon, they set up a date. The two met in West Hartford on one of the coldest nights of the year. They had a wonderful Italian dinner and some wine at a bar afterwards. Benoit asked Mary if they could take a walk outside because the bar was very loud. Mary agreed, and the two ended up taking a two-hour walk in the freezing cold. Neither of them wanted the conversation to end. Fast-forward to February 5th: Mary and Benoit told each other how they felt. This is the day they consider their anniversary. The rest is history: many trips to many different places in the US, France, and Ireland, and, of course, lots of love and laughter. They thank you for joining them on this step of their adventure.