About Us

A Story by Andrea Bueno

In the fall of 1999 I was living in Falls Church, VA and working for Sodexho Marriott Services in Gaithersburg, MD. My career was exciting because it involved reporting to an officer of a Fortune 500 company and being a key player in developing the company's internet and intranet strategy. However, a large part of me longed to move back to Northern New England. On a whim, I posted my resume on a few web sites and directly e-mailed it to a few companies in the Upper Valley. My resume landed in the hands of John Tariot at FOOTAGE.net. The day before Thanksgiving I met with John Tariot and Meg Houston in Hanover. In February my belongings were packed and I moved to the Upper Valley to work for FOOTAGE.net.

It took a few months for me to adjust. In DC I had a beautiful condo to myself as well as a large circle of friends. The housing market in the Upper Valley was tight and my mother and I became housemates. It took about 4 months to find an apartment of my own and I gradually got in touch with childhood friends and made new ones at the FOOTAGE.net office.

One day, when I was feeling particularly bold, I asked Meg if she knew any nice single men in the Upper Valley. She laughed and said she would think about it and let me know. A day or so later she came back and said she thought of someone. Meg's friend, Steve, worked at Framework Technologies and he had a co-worker who might fit the bill. That co-worker turned out to be Rangi.

Rangi moved back to Brownsville in 1997 after graduating from the University of Queensland in Brisbane, Australia. Framework Technologies had hired him as an intern while he was in school and offered him a full time position shortly after he had graduated from college. When Steve joined the company they quickly became friends.

Steve asked Rangi if he would like to go on a blind date. Rangi had never been on a blind date before and he thought it would be fun. Steve and Meg arranged for us to meet at Steve's house for appetizers and then go to Sweet Tomatoes for dinner.

Rangi and I ended up liking each other instantly. As you all know, he is quite handsome with his brown eyes and high cheekbones. Like me, he was a bit nervous during our time together but he was also charming and his intellectual curiosity was evident.

At the end of the evening, Meg and Steve excused themselves and Rangi and I were left alone. We talked for almost an hour. Towards the end of the conversation Rangi mentioned that he would like to be just friends. My heart sank because I thought he was dismissing the idea of a romantic relationship. He then followed up by asking me if I would go to the Big Apple Circus with him that weekend. At the time this confused me but I agreed that it would be fun to go and we exchanged numbers. Later, I found out that Rangi was nervous and hadn't meant to give the impression that he just wanted to be friends.

That Sunday we went to the Big Apple Circus. I hadn't been to the circus in a while and Rangi was the perfect companion for this event. He was so happy and excited and took joy out of the little details around us. His attitude was contagious. We then went to Molly's Balloon for dinner and then back to my apartment where we talked for three hours. Neither one of us wanted the date to end but we knew we had to call it a night because we both had work the next day.

Rangi and I continued to enjoy each other's company in the weeks that followed. I was surprised and happy at how easily we got along and how comfortable we felt around each other. Rangi was such a positive force that I knew I wanted him to be a part of my life.

About a month later I was introduced to Rangi's family. Christa and Choff were wonderful and welcoming. During our conversation I learned that tea means dinner and rellie means relative. Christa said that I must be special because Rangi wasn't in the habit of bringing his girlfriends by the house. I hoped that she was right.

A week or so later the four of us piled into the Subaru and headed down to the Eddy Street House in Providence to visit Rangi's sister, Lela and her fiancé, David. We spent three hours driving down there and I felt happier than ever. The trip was a wonderful experience for me because the Keens made me feel like I was a true part of their family. Both Lela and David were delightful and I was glad to also include them in my life.

Rangi and I knew we had something special. We continued to spend our free time together, travel together and support each other both personally and professionally. An added benefit to our relationship is that we work in complimentary fields. He gives me technical advice, I give him communication advice and we collaborate on web site design. Our relationship was becoming robust and gratifying. I had never realized that a relationship could be this solid and good.

About 10 months after we met we moved in together. Shortly after the move we vacationed in Playa Blanca, Mexico. During the days we would sail, kayak, scale the climbing wall, or brave the flying trapeze. On the second day of our vacation I was relaxing in a hammock and reading The Hobbit. Rangi had been kayaking and headed back to the room for a shower. When he came back he was nicely dressed and I asked why he dressed so early for dinner. He then bent down on one knee and presented me with a ring. We both were tearing up as he proposed and of course, I accepted.

We decided on a June 2003 marriage to give us plenty of time to plan a wedding on another continent.

We hope that you are able to attend the wedding and are excited to share this special event with you. There will also be a casual gathering in Vermont when we return after our wedding.