Wednesday, September 7, 2005 - I live with my best mate

 ELINA IN 1990

ELINA IN 2004

It was a dark stormy night in 1989, actually it was a sunny Sunday afternoon in 1989 and being in my early twenties and only residing in the US for 18 months, I decided to do what any self respecting Englishman would do............. go out and get shitfaced.
I was pretty drunk when Elina came into Ye Olde King's Head pub in Santa Monica, she was with her freind Jo. I made the move and started talking to her, turned out Elina was Finnish and had been in the States for 3 years as an au pair for the Finnish consul. After a few more drinks I drove her and her freind home, deciding I would impress them by driving fast and making the wheels squeal on my American sports car ( well I was 24). I got stopped by the police who decided I was not fit to drive and insisted that one of the girls drive, which Jo did as Elina did not have her license with her..........................

Sixteen years later Elina and I are still together, after dating for 4 years and living together for 12 years. Elina was brought up on the little Finnish island fortress of Suomenlinna as her father was with the Finnish navy and they had military housing on the island. It must have been a nice place to grow up, a safe environment full of nature yet only a 15 minute ferry ride from Helsinki;

http://www.worldheritagesite.org/sites/suomenlinna.html

Elina decided against an academic career and prefers the free and easy life of a food server( waitress to me and you), she has met all sorts of celebrities since she works in the swanky Brentwood area, she waited on Anthony Hopkins ( always by himself with a book), Britney Spears( freindly) and Matt Le Blanc( did'nt know who he was until a co-worker informed her), to name a few.

 Elina doesn't contribute to BE  so I thought I would put a little piece up for her, as she is now getting a big needle stuck in her belly for the amniotic fluid test prior to the birth of our second child due in February 2006.

Elina puts up with countless hours of BE reading and posting, on-line X-box tournaments and numerous Premier league soccer games to mention a few irritating past times that I have. Who said you can't find true love in a bar?!?!

*DISCLAIMER* Lionheart reserves the right to edit. modify or remove this entry completely if the missus pisses me off at a future date.