THERE AND BACK AGAIN
THE TALE OF PAM & CHRIS
PAM
& CHRIS
The Tale of Us
Some stories begin in grand halls, faraway kingdoms, or places marked on maps. Ours began at a family disco party in Oxford, Michigan, with a blue shirt, a snake bracelet, and one very awkward phone call.
Illustrated storybook map titled There and Back Again, showing important places in Pam and Chris’s journey together
A map of the places that led us here.
A journey begun February 26, 2000. Still unfolding.
THE PEOPLE AT THE HEART OF THIS TALE
Pam & Chris
A CHARACTER IN THIS TALE
PAM
  • Graciously said yes to an extremely awkward phone call out of pure Midwestern niceness — kindness level: immeasurable
  • Showed up to a disco party and accidentally changed the trajectory of two lives
  • Survived the Ross & Rachel years with dignity intact
  • Raised a daughter with the kind of strength that doesn't ask for credit
  • Said "I do" to a man in a blue shirt who once needed liquid courage to dance
A CHARACTER IN THIS TALE
CHRIS
  • Showed up to a party for his cousin and met the woman who would become his wife
  • Found enough courage to keep talking through a four-word phone call
  • Chose Pam AND Maggie without a second of hesitation
  • Was at the hospital when Maggie was one day old and never left
  • Turned young and dumb into wise and all-in — character arc complete
THE CHRONICLE
The Journey So Far
FEB 26, 2000
Chapter I: The Snake Bracelet
He came to give moral support for his cousin’s setup. Somewhere between the blue shirt, the snake bracelet, and a night of dancing, he met the woman who would become his wife. His aunt Molly (who was also her uncle Scott's wife — yes, really) said three words: "Pammy is here." The rest was physics. A girl in a snake bracelet. A guy in a blue shirt holding a beer. One dance turned into the whole night.
AN EYEWITNESS ACCOUNT At some point that night, Chris informed Pam’s brother, “Your sister is so hot.” His response, by his own account, was uncertainty over whether to laugh or kick Chris’s ass.
THE BEGINNING
Old printed photo from Oxford Lake in 2000
Oxford Lake, 2000 — where the tale began.
SHORTLY AFTER
Chapter II: The Call That Almost Didn’t Happen
Word was she was smitten. Word was wrong. She was just nice. The call featured four-word answers, one devastating silence, and a man who nearly tapped out before somehow finding the nerve to ask her out. She said yes. History was made.
A NERVOUS FIRST STEP
MAR 3/4, 2000
Chapter III: Dinner, a Movie, and Destiny
Dinner. A dark comedy about a murder. Curled hair. A yellowish blouse. Somehow it worked. First date: success. Twenty-five years later he still remembers what she was wearing.
THE FIRST DATE
APR 1, 2000
Chapter IV: The Driveway
After Final Destination. In a driveway. With Brian and Misty standing nearby. April Fools' Day. The first kiss. No joke — this was the real thing.
NO JOKE
June 2000
Pam and Chris at Chris's sister's wedding a few months into dating
Chris’s sister’s wedding — a few months into the story, when we were still figuring each other out but already becoming us.
2000 – 2003
Chapter V: The Long Way Around
On. Off. On. Off. He bailed when it got real. Realized he was miserable. Came back. She broke up with him once too (justified). Eventually they called it quits for good. And in the silence of losing her completely, the answer became obvious: he loved her. He wanted to marry her.
THE LONG WAY AROUND
2003
Chapter VI: The Choice
He called. She came over. She was five months pregnant. The other guy had walked away. Chris didn't flinch. He still wanted to marry her. Some men run from plot twists. This one leaned in.
THE MOMENT THAT MATTERED
Chris, Pam, and young Maggie together near the beginning of their family story
Before there was a wedding, there was already a family beginning to take shape.
FEB 20, 2004
Chapter VII: The Ring and the Road Ahead
After a piano lesson. Ring hidden in the flower card holder. "How was your lesson?" "Fine." (She did not look down.) Then: "Read the card." She did. She saw it. Gray turtleneck. Heart stopped. Said yes.
A PROMISE MADE
JULY 9, 2005
Chapter VIII: The Day the Journey Changed
St. Ephrem Church, Sterling Heights. Pre-reception at Mom and Dad's. Reception at Gino's Surf on Lake St. Clair. Honeymoon at Sandals Dunn's River Falls, Jamaica. Five years from a disco party to forever — officially official.
JULY 9, 2005
Pam and Chris in their wedding portrait on July 9, 2005
July 9, 2005 — the promise became a life.
THE LITTLE THINGS THAT ADD UP
A Life in Numbers
1
Disco Party That Changed Everything
26
Years Since the Beginning
21
Years Married
5
Kids Who Made Life Louder and Better
2
Dogs Along for the Journey
Countless
Lake St. Clair Days, Boat Rides, and Memories
BY THE WATER
Lake St. Clair

Some of our best chapters have been written with the water nearby — boat rides, fishing trips, sunsets, laughter, and the kind of ordinary days that become the ones you remember.

A boat day on Lake St. Clair
One of our favorite places to keep writing the story.
CHAPTER IX
The Family We Became
Some journeys do not simply lead you somewhere new. They reveal the family you were meant to become.
Pam, Chris, Maggie, and the baby in red as their family grew
The story got bigger. The house got louder. Somehow, it got even better.
"He was at the hospital when she was one day old. He held her. He fell in love. She had a bedroom in his house before they were married. He adopted her. She was never anything other than his daughter — not for a single day."
MAGGIE • LOVED FROM DAY 1 • ADOPTED: AGE 6
Formal portrait of Pam, Chris, and their family
Somewhere along the way, the story got louder, fuller, messier, and better.
Pam, Chris, and their family during a Disney trip
A family journey: equal parts adventure, chaos, and everyone looking in a different direction.
Epilogue
THE ROAD
CONTINUES
We have traveled farther than either of us could have imagined that night at the disco party.

Through the hard parts, the ordinary Tuesdays, the laughter, the chaos, the five kids, the dogs, the home we built, the boat rides, the fishing trips, and every version of life in between — you have been my favorite part of the journey.

Thank you for choosing me. I would choose you again, every time.
Pam and Chris together now
Still on the journey.
Pam and Chris written in the sand
Pam ♥ Chris
BEGUN FEBRUARY 26, 2000 • MARRIED JULY 9, 2005 • STILL WRITING THE STORY