A Tale of Two Miami Mergers: The Kanes

On the way to anniversary 27, The Kanes believe that the key to any successful relationship is compromise.  These mergers live in Alexandria, Virginia with their son, Jack, and daughter, Annabeth, a senior at Miami.  

When and how did you meet?

We met in January of 1985 at Circle Apartments in Oxford.  I lived in the top left apartment with a mutual friend, Jenny, and he lived in the bottom right apartment.  He came to our door with chocolates from a store he worked for uptown to invite us to party and I answered the door.

Where did you frequent uptown as a couple?

Not as a couple- we were friends within a group of friends.  We went uptown as a group and called ourselves The Breakfast Club.  He always seemed to be in my apartment, even when a date came to pick me up!  I did take him to Kappa Korral as a friend because he was/is always “the life of the party.”

Was it love at first sight?

No!  He was like a brother to me.  However, after he left Miami for Washington D.C., we had a long distance telephone relationship and would talk for hours.  I visited him there over the summer of ’85 and we fell for each other.

Proposal details?!

He proposed on Valentine’s Day 1986.  There was a major U.S. snowstorm and they closed Cincinnati airport right after my flight left for D.C.  He piggybacked me to the steps of the Jefferson Memorial, due to the deep snow and my high-heeled pump, then popped the question on the steps of the Memorial.

When did you get married?

We got married on October 25, 1986.  There were tons of Miami people in the wedding and as wedding guests.

Does being a Miami Merger add to your relationship?

When you marry your best friend from college you are constantly referring to Miami; it’s our common denominator.  We can still spend an evening talking about our times at Miami.  Our poor children probably know many of our stories by heart.

What relationship advice do you have for current Miami students?

Relationships, and especially marriage, are what I like to call “the Grand Compromise.”   You cannot change a person and shouldn’t try to.  Also, keep in mind and take a good look at the person’s family because you marry a family, not just the person.  Again, the Grand Compromise!