Johnny and Claire
How They Met:
Johnny was visiting Dad in Port Charlotte, FL. Claire was staying at SailPort in Tampa, Florida for her annual February get-a-way from cold winters of Toronto. They met on-line (plentyoffish) and agreed to go on their first date on Valentines Day (February 14, 2008). They met for dinner in Sarasota, FL and then took a long walk along the beach on a moonlit night. Not wanting the evening to end, they sat together in Claire’s car and talked for hours overlooking the water where they first met. At the end of the evening Johnny and Claire agreed to another date the next night…February 15th, 2008. That date has never ended.
On Valentines Day 2009 (one year after they first met), Johnny enrolled the help of a friend, Tiamo (LA Music Awards Singer/Songwriter of the Year and San Diego’s Best Songwriter), to recap their first year together in a song. On Valentines Day morning, Claire awoke to a new iPod docked in a station with a PostIt Reading “Play Me”.
This song, “Aisle View” (hint: sound it out…the words actually say something more than just what is read) has become “our song” (Johnny and Claire’s theme song). It will, of course, be played at the wedding, and you can hear it now by clicking on the link below.
| About Tiamo De Vettori: Tiamo’s original songs are fun and playful, others are deep and introspective, and some are so romantic, it will make your toes curl.
Whether you’ve attended one of Tiamo’s captivating live performances, been moved by his music, or simply heard about his “love for life” persona, we invite you to explore this site (http://www.tiamomusic.com/) to find out more and be a part of the positive vibe. |
Click here to play Tiamo’s song about Johnny and Claire entitled “Aisle View”. |
On Valentines Day 2010 (two years after their meeting), Johnny and Claire will leave on their Honeymoon and begin their family together and the continue the celebration of their wedding…one day earlier.
About Johnny:
Johnny grew up in the south side of Chicago…the middle child (3rd of 5) of William and Janice Chmela, whose life focus has always been family and helping others. John has two older brothers, Michael and Bill, and younger Sister Maribeth, and a younger brother Steven (1965-1988). John graduated from Lewis University in 1983 with a Bachelor’s Degree in Mathematics and in Computer Science. John dedicated two decades of his career programming computers mostly writing Microsoft Windows and Internet applications. In the 1990′s John shifted his focus to charitable causes and devoted several years advocating for people who have disabilities.
John has shared with Claire his passion for new possibilities…which is why they are always engaged in new projects or visiting new locations.
About Claire:
Claire grew up in Pickering, Ontario (Canada) which is an east suburb of Toronto. She is the daughter of Bea and Chester Ufnal. She has a large family with eight siblings (five brothers and three sisters) Claire is the baby of the family. She has a deep-seated love of crafting, gardening, and decorating. After working for a few years in computer programming world, she left suddenly to follow her passion. That led her to the world of real estate. Claire started to buy and renovate (doing much of the work herself) and sell homes, and she eventually became a licensed realtor in Toronto. Claire was never an advocate for the cold winters of Toronto, so starting in 2004, she began to spend much of the winters in Florida which is where she and John met.
Claire has introduced John to her world of animals. They currently have two long hair chihuahuas, a Carolina dog, two long hair cats. John hid his allergy to cats from Claire when they met! oops. Claire has started working with a few animal rescue organizations in Florida. She helps with dog walking, bathing, adoption drives, and charity events.
