A Date to Remember
After finishing Harvard Law School in 1988, Michelle moved back to Chicago to join Sidley & Austin, a prestigious law firm.
Part of Michelle's job was to advise promising law students and possibly set them up to join the firm when they graduated.
It was in this context that Michelle met a young hotshot named @BarackObama .
Before she ever met him, Michelle had heard people talking about this striking young man, but Michelle was skeptical.
@HarvardUniversity professors were calling him the most gifted student they had ever worked with.
Yet, in Michelle's experience, white professors often went cuckoo over any half-smart black man in a nice suit.
Plus, he had the gall to show up late to their first appointment.
And worst of all, he was a smoker!
Once Barack finally did arrive, it was immediately apparent that he was indeed different.
He'd taken a couple of years off before attending Harvard Law, so he was a few years older than her.
He radiated confidence and self-reliance.
So much so that everyone in the firm was eager to get his opinion on whatever they were working on.
And yet he and Michelle were like-minded, and an easy rapport quickly developed between them.
He was familiar with Chicago's South Side neighborhoods, having worked there as a community organizer.
And he was certainly handsome.
Still, Michelle didn't immediately think they were a romantic match.
But the weeks went by and their meetings went smoothly and eventually she accepted his offer: she'd try to ignore his smoking and go out on a date with him.
On the first date she was a bit guarded.
After all, she had been on a very rigid track for most of her life, chasing one career goal after another.
Only recently had Michelle started to realize that she'd never stopped to ask herself if this was the life she really wanted.
To Michelle, who felt increasingly uncertain about the path she'd taken, Barack's confident and easy-going nature almost seemed like a threat.
But gradually her defenses began to melt away.
Barack had a different way of thinking than the people she was used to being around.
It wasn't just that he was cerebral and liked to read about urban housing in his spare time.
He also didn't care about money.
His desire to make a difference far outweighed his interest in wealth.
And so, for the first time, Michelle began to think long and hard about what kind of career she really wanted.
Finally, after attending a barbecue at a colleague's house, where she'd watched Barack play a game of basketball, Michelle could feel herself slowing down to match his pace.
Barack has what you could call a certain Hawaiian casualness.
Later that day, after grabbing an ice cream, they kissed for the first time.
And just like that, all doubt about her future husband seemed to vanish.
A Date to Remember
After finishing Harvard Law School in 1988, Michelle moved back to Chicago to join Sidley & Austin, a prestigious law firm.
Part of Michelle's job was to advise promising law students and possibly set them up to join the firm when they graduated.
It was in this context that Michelle met a young hotshot named @BarackObama .
Before she ever met him, Michelle had heard people talking about this striking young man, but Michelle was skeptical.
@HarvardUniversity professors were calling him the most gifted student they had ever worked with.
Yet, in Michelle's experience, white professors often went cuckoo over any half-smart black man in a nice suit.
Plus, he had the gall to show up late to their first appointment.
And worst of all, he was a smoker!
Once Barack finally did arrive, it was immediately apparent that he was indeed different.
He'd taken a couple of years off before attending Harvard Law, so he was a few years older than her.
He radiated confidence and self-reliance.
So much so that everyone in the firm was eager to get his opinion on whatever they were working on.
And yet he and Michelle were like-minded, and an easy rapport quickly developed between them.
He was familiar with Chicago's South Side neighborhoods, having worked there as a community organizer.
And he was certainly handsome.
Still, Michelle didn't immediately think they were a romantic match.
But the weeks went by and their meetings went smoothly and eventually she accepted his offer: she'd try to ignore his smoking and go out on a date with him.
On the first date she was a bit guarded.
After all, she had been on a very rigid track for most of her life, chasing one career goal after another.
Only recently had Michelle started to realize that she'd never stopped to ask herself if this was the life she really wanted.
To Michelle, who felt increasingly uncertain about the path she'd taken, Barack's confident and easy-going nature almost seemed like a threat.
But gradually her defenses began to melt away.
Barack had a different way of thinking than the people she was used to being around.
It wasn't just that he was cerebral and liked to read about urban housing in his spare time.
He also didn't care about money.
His desire to make a difference far outweighed his interest in wealth.
And so, for the first time, Michelle began to think long and hard about what kind of career she really wanted.
Finally, after attending a barbecue at a colleague's house, where she'd watched Barack play a game of basketball, Michelle could feel herself slowing down to match his pace.
Barack has what you could call a certain Hawaiian casualness.
Later that day, after grabbing an ice cream, they kissed for the first time.
And just like that, all doubt about her future husband seemed to vanish.
#ADatetoRemember