We met in the summer of 2007 while working for the same company. Later that year we recognized our feelings for one another at the company Christmas party—two days before Phillip left for France to study and work for the next three years! Once he arrived in Saint-Émilion, a winemaking region in Bordeaux, Phillip wrote Heather the first of many love letters, and then on Valentine’s Day sent her flowers. Over the next six months we got to know each other through snail mail before Heather traveled to France for a one-week visit during her post-graduation European travels. Following this stereotypically romantic week in France, we decided without hesitation to pursue our dedication to one another then and there. All this despite the specter of another two years in different countries! Our week in France became the foundation of our love story. And love was in our favor; Heather found a master’s program between N.C. State University and a business school in France. She was able to pursue her own French experience in Provence, which allowed us to visit one another on the weekends. Today, we’re happily together in the same country and pursuing our dreams of bringing a little piece of France to our home in North Carolina! Phillip Zucchino & Heather Allen Raleigh