the Melville Boys

This is a continuation to the "behind the names" blog that Gabe posted earlier.

Gabe and I met doing a UCFV show called "the Melville Boys". In the show our characters have a fling, he proposes to me, and I say no. (tee hee). The show only had 10 people involved from actors to costume manager, so all of us got to know each other very very well.

Gabe and I especially got to know eachother well as our characters were almost always either on stage together, or off. We spent 4-5 hours a day, 3 days a week for 4 months with the show, so after it was over it was really wierd to think I wouldn't be seeing him ever again.

2 weeks after the show we ran into eachother at another audition, and I knew then that I was in trouble. :) That weekend we had our wrap-up party where we were literally inseperable. After hours of talking and flirting we shared our first kiss, and the rest is history. We have been together for almost 8 years (dating anniversary is this Feb 23rd) and only seperated for a few days by necessity (work trips).

I have always loved the name "Owen", but as it was Gabe's characters name in "the Melville Boys", it has an extra special meaning to me. And now that it is our sons name, it is even more special.

At one point Gabe said he hated the name so much that I would never be allowed to name a child, or even a pet, Owen, so we named our Pontiac Sunfire Owen. 6 months ago (or s0) he decided that he really didnlt mind the name at all, and becasue I was pushing so hard for it if we had a boy, that he was going to tease me about it. He really kicked the "I hate the name Owen" up a notch, and so I had to kick the "I want to name our son Owen" up as well. I really didn't think I had a shot with the name at all as I didn't want to choose something Gabe hated, but I pushed none the less.

During labor I was 99% sure we were having a boy, and I had decided I liked the name "Noah". In fact, picturing our son and chanting "No-ah" helped me pass through hours of hard labor. But once he came out, he didn't look like a Noah at all. I was disappointed. But then Gabe turned to me and said "He looks like an Owen", and my face dropped. I hadn't cried at all up until then, but I felt my eyes well up with tears at that point.

Playing up how much he didn't like the name made naming Owen that much more special to me, and I will always thank Gabriel for the chance to give me the chance to tell this very special, and ever so romantic, story.