A Love Story Made In The Stars ✨

(Act 1) How An Unlikely Friendship Changed Everything!

When I first met Jennifer in Hollywood, Los Angeles, for the very first time on that warm April 1st eve almost 10 years ago, she had an energetic radiance that was impossible not to notice. Her luminescence lit up the night and struck me to my core. Combined with the biggest, warmest smile I think I've ever seen, and her Parisian French fashion sense, you couldn't help be anything but mesmerised by her beauty, poise, style, and most of all, her bright light. 

I was working a friends' writer's event handing out free drinks, wearing of all things, a black t-shirt with big, bold white letters emblazoned across it that read: 'I Love My Girlfriend', which I wore as an ironic statement given that I didn't actually have a girlfriend.

What to some might be an awkward situation given the t-shirt's declaration (though thankfully she got the irony when many didn't), in that brief two minute exchange I was so awestruck by her that I did something I had never ever done in such a short space of time – I immediately asked for her phone number.

To my surprise (and delight), she gave it, and then just as quickly as she came, she was gone, stepping into the darkened room behind me to go hear the speakers. But it didn't matter, I felt like I had the biggest, winning-est lottery ticket in history. I quickly tucked it into my jean's pocket and carried on with my role, albeit with a big, beaming smile of my own.

THE EPITOME OF A LIVING, BREATHING GODDESS

Jennifer, who shone very much like this the first time I met her, albeit in a different but equally eye-catching outfit. Stunning!

OBLIGATORY THREE DAY WAIT?

I didn't bother to wait the supposed "three-day" unwritten rule before calling her. Why waste time with that nonsense? When someone saunters into your life and lights up brighter than the Hollywood sign at night with a vibrancy that stops you in your tracks, there are no rules.

But here's what I didn't know at the time when Jennifer freely gave me her number. She had only recently changed it and the number she gave me, yep, her old one. So when I called I got nothing but an automated operator message: "Sorry, but your call could not be connected, please check the number and try again."

I KNEW SHE WAS TRUTH

Not to be deterred as I truly believed it to be an honest mistake – I just knew she was truth – I jumped on social media to track her down. But I only had one name to go off, Jennifer. When you live in L.A. with a population over 12+ million and type 'Jennifer' into a search box, you're flooded with thousands of Jennifers. Sigh.

That week I was frantic as I desperately searched for her on Facebook and Twitter, all with no luck. At one stage I even ran the hashtag, #FindJennifer in a few tweets hoping that might help. Zip. Nought. Nada. Nothing. 

In that week of frenzied, fruitless searches, I felt like I had met my wife. I can't explain that, it was just a "feeling", an inkling... a hunch that I'd never had before. But I also knew I was up against it. There's only so many social media profiles you can scan before your eyes glaze over and you inevitably give up.

Totally bummed and defeated, I told my two friend's who had organised the writers' event what happened, and how I believed it to be an honest mistake on her part. For whatever reason, and going against both of their privacy concerns, they took pity on me. Unbeknown to me on the night, they had recorded entrants surnames. They silently slipped it over and left me to my hunt. 

Jennifer Juvenelle. Jennifer Juvenelle. Jennifer. Juvenelle. I rolled that delectable name over and over in my mind. What a beautiful sounding name for such a beautifully striking woman.

BOOM! THERE SHE WAS 

I typed Jennifer Juvenelle into a search box, and boom! There she was in all her stylish elegance and beauty staring back at me.

It had been exactly a week since the night that would change my life forever (though I didn't know it at the time). I didn't hesitate to punch out a short message to her.

Amazingly, I didn't have to wait too long for a reply. She explained the error on her part about the mixed up phone numbers and subsequently gave me her correct phone number. And by Sunday I summoned up the courage to call.

However, before calling her I was as nervous as a teenage schoolboy calling a girl for the very first time. For a confident man in his early 40s, who was not shy when it came to women, this was new territory. However, when I dialled the ten digits I could feel my heart race and when she answered, it sped up even faster.

Not wanting to bungle the moment I instantly stepped into my own truth and told her how nervous I felt before calling. She laughed, as did I, which immediately made us both relax and for the next hour an easy, free flowing conversation followed. No awkward silences, no mindless chatter, just two people talking like old friends.

After we hung up, I felt a huge relief on account of having found her, and a happiness that all my frantic, fevered efforts to find her that week had finally paid off courtesy of a little help. That very comfortable, very easy exchange just felt so right.

IMAGINE MY SURPRISE...

When I called up about two weeks later, she politely told me she'd just gotten out of something serious and wasn't looking to get into anything. I mumbled that I only wanted to get to know the woman behind that amazing smile and bright light, but she didn't believe me. I mean, what man says that and means it? But I honestly did.

However, if there's one thing I'd learned over the years, when a woman makes up her mind, she makes up her mind. Nothing you can say or do will convince her otherwise nor will she change it. While shocked given the ease of our first call, I reluctantly accepted, wished her well, and quietly slinked away.

After I hung up I remember feeling flat. How could someone who enjoyed our first phone call and even comment to compliment it, just want to walk away? But she did. All I could do was suck it up, and get on with my life. Thankfully, I was in the middle of a super intensive, 3-day self-improvement course designed specifically for men, that to this day, remains the most challenging and rewarding course I've done. With the help of that, it allowed me to move on. It's all I could do.

Months passed and I let her be, yet she continued to occupy my mind, albeit in a vastly different capacity now. Perhaps I hadn't met my wife as I believed and it had just been excitement on my behalf at the light she radiated. And so I let that thought drift away into the ether and never thought about it (or her again), in that way. 

Occasionally I did reach out here and there, to ask her to attend a special event I had tickets to, as friends, and to her surprise she found herself saying yes (a theme that would become common over time). But these events were few and far between, nothing more than fleeting moments and interactions. Afterwards we would go our own merry way.

NEW DIRECTIONS, NEW PASSIONS, NEW PURSUITS

Our paths would take us in entirely different directions when a new woman entered my life several months later and I found myself being drawn away from L.A. and up to Canada to pursue it. 

While she found herself landing more acting roles and modelling gigs, while working for a popular relationship coach and experiencing the early beginnings of her own soon-to-be exponential inner growth and personal development.

I arranged what we both thought at the time, would be our last face to face get together, before I headed over to Toronto to start a new life up there. 

We hung out at Aroma, my fave cafe in L.A. and spoke freely and easily. For the first time since I'd known her, she was casually dressed in jeans and a tee. Over the course of the afternoon, Jennifer came to realise that I was genuine and had been authentic when I said I just wanted to get to know the woman behind the smile and bright light.

As we stood on the corner to say our goodbyes that day for the final time, I gave her a warm hug. Something in that hug, however, had her asking for a second. I duly obliged, and after it was done, we parted – me bound for Canada, Jennifer staying to continue her acting aspirations and blossoming modelling career. 

(Act 2) WRITERS MAKE THE BEST FRIENDS

Over time, and even though I had just had my first son, despite the distance, Jennifer and I stayed in contact. We found a nice, easy rhythm and the makings of budding friendship began to blossom, especially when she moved away from acting and into writing. 

She wrote with a real honesty, raw vulnerability, and shocking truth. She had so much eloquence and untapped brilliance.

In between daycare runs and parental duties for me, and work commitments and travel fo her, we somehow found time for the odd video call. More often than not, those chats would easily last 3-4 hours. Not once did we ever think any more of it or of each other, other than just being purely platonic friends – I was in a committed relationship, she had her own goals and interested suitors – all we knew was we just enjoyed talking to one another.

It was easy. It was simple. There were no complications, only understanding, honesty and trust.

A TRUE FRIENDSHIP, LIKE LOVE, TAKES TIME TO GROW

Over time, we found ourselves reaching out more often. I'd offer writing tips after she came stuck, and slowly found myself being her champion after getting a sneak preview of what was to become one of the most phenomenal books I've read in the last five years, while also being a shoulder to lean on after her dad's passing and other emotional trials.

She helped by being a loyal friend right when I needed one after feeling cold and isolated in Canada, pining for sun and dreaming of a return home to Australia. I had my very close, long term friendships of course, but it was difficult to fully connect given the huge timezone disparity between Australia and the east coast of Canada. Eventually, and without much effort or fanfare, Jennifer wound up becoming a close friend – a true and loyal friend as other friendships vanished – who was someone I'd confide in and vice versa.

(Act 3) THE FRIEND THAT BECAME A BEST FRIEND THAT BECAME MY WIFE

I remember when I was working on a film set back in L.A, during a set break a casual conversation broke out and Jim, the brother of a very famous American actor mentioned that he'd married his best friend. The female director, Kathi, who had also been married for a couple of decades also said the same thing. It stuck with me.

When I made the decision to finally exit the unhealthy, abusive relationship I was in, and leave Toronto behind, which also meant my beautiful son Kailan, (the single hardest decision I've ever had to make), and instead listen to my heart that was calling for me to go home, I had no idea what was to follow. 

All I knew when I boarded that near empty plane back in June 2020, was that I wanted to be the best dad I could be from afar, seeing my boy as often as I could (lockdowns and border closures notwithstanding), make my two Facetime calls a week with him the pinnacle of my week (and hopefully his), ready to lay down roots in Australia once and for all, and focus on my writing career. That's it!  

I WAS DONE WITH WOMEN, RELATIONSHIPS... LOVE 

I'd given love my absolute all over the years but I was done. Thanks for the memories, the fun times, the passion, the tears, the heartaches, but I'm out. Adios, ciao, sayonara... goodbye.

So imagine my surprise then when on the second day of an enforced two week hotel room quarantine stay courtesy of Australian government protocols – even though I showed zero signs or symptoms whatsoever – that when I jumped on a long overdue video call with Jennifer, thinking I'd just be catching up and talking with a good friend, something shifted and suddenly everything changed. 

She noticed and commented that the light had returned to my green eyes once more, and that my energy appeared lighter, which was true. Those last few months in Toronto I'd seen a deep sadness descend upon my soul. But the more we spoke, the easier it was to open up, and the freer we both felt. 

Four hours flew by as we went deep on topics, getting extremely vulnerable at times. By the end of the call, we decided then and there to do it all again the next day. And the next, and the next... and the next until eventually after 14 days, I was free to leave. 

Four hour calls became six, became 10, 13, 18, 20 hour calls. Once or twice we even crossed 24 hours straight, with one epic call lasting 30 hours. 

I knew inside that first week that I wanted to spend the rest of my life with her. 

Due to border closures at the time, it would take almost another six months before we could even be in the same place and same country together – Thank YOU and muchas gracias Mexico for making it possible – but we’ve been inseparable ever since.

And so it seemed that love had had the last laugh – do you recall the day we met? April 1st or more commonly known as April Fool's Day. Love clearly has a sense of humour. Ha!

WE DIDN'T FALL IN LOVE – WE GREW INTO IT

That unlikely friendship, grew into a best friend that became my wife. And it continues to grow every single day, with each passing month and year. 

Over the years as the friendship grew, so too did the trust, the honesty, the openness. And that's been key to us having a sustaining, thriving love. The kind that sends rockets up your spine and takes your soul on a journey to the furthest reaches of the multiverse, created from the purest, deepest kind of love.

This is only a snippet of things way beyond our control (and comprehension), that brought about our coming together and this epic love story. We've astral travelled while being on opposite sides of the world. Encountered (and felt) Universal cosmic energy at play literally jolting us physically and energetically – both from afar and up close, with zero touch. 

Regardless of what you believe, where you stand or what you think (or think you know), there is a far greater force at work and play here that continues to blow our minds. And it's not just for Jennifer and me, but for all of us. Surrender.

✨ THERE IS REAL MAGIC HERE ✨

To this day we're never short of conversation, though these days it tends to be cut short as we take care of our Earthly angel, Iluka, who just like his mama, also exhibits that same bright, radiant shine and glow she does, with a big, warm, very cheeky smile (though his comes with the extra bonus of a dimple that melts hearts), but that same light and energy and pure happiness abounds.

It hasn't all been a one way ticket to the stars. We've also had trials and tribulations, major setbacks, a financial windfall, and then a financial free-fall (which we're still coming back from), but one thing that has never ever wavered once – our love, support, and genuine commitment to one another. 

Every day I wake up (usually before her), I find myself in those quiet moments before Iluka rouses, admiring her divine beauty and Goddess stature, and loving on her even further.

Nine years of friendship. Four years together. Three years of spiritual marriage. Two and a half years as parents. One year legally married… an infinite lifetime of love.

I don't know how it's possible but I love Jennifer more now than I ever have in the four years of being together. We go from strength to strength, our friendship and relationship continues to expand, prosper and grow deeper, while she shines brighter than ever in her roles as a devoted wife and a loving mama. I do not take a second of her, or our love-ship, for granted. Not a single one. 

ps: Jenn, I love you more than ever, forever always.