How We Met

Steven and Reina met on March 5, 2004 at a party thrown by Seattle's "ladybug guy" Buddy Foley. Reina knew Buddy through her sister, Jennica, and Steven was with his friends, Nicole Kistler and Dave Benham. Special thanks to Buddy, Jennica, Nicole and Dave.

It started out innocently enough. Steven's first thoughts when he spotted Reina: Wow, she's hot, but a little too young for me. Reina, who was dating someone, was merely looking for good conversation. The opportunity to meet presented itself when Reina spotted a possum in the rafters and Steven hurried over to snap a photo.

After introducing himself, Steven learned that Reina was only 7 years younger and decided to give her a card with a link to his photography website, www.stevenstone.com. The two spent the next few hours immersed in conversation, oblivious to other partygoers. They wrapped up the evening with a promise to keep in touch and stay friends.

The next morning, Reina checked out Steven's website and promptly emailed him with her compliments. Weeks later, she emailed again, suggesting they go out for sushi. She was a bit discouraged by Steven's busy schedule, but he eventually gave up a Pub Sunday to meet her for dinner. On Easter, they met at Chiso's in Fremont. Steven was in awe of Reina's appetite when she ordered (and ate) every roll on the menu.

Despite having to work early, the two barhopped through Fremont. At the fourth stop, affectionately known as Ballard's 4 B's, Reina confessed she was single. Steven responded by leaning in while exclaiming, "Great, let's kiss!" Of course, Reina wouldn't have it.

After weeks of wining and dining, including a night at the symphony and enough parties for Reina to meet many of Steven's wonderful friends, Steven finally got his first kiss. The rest, as they say, is history.

Get to Know Steven Cook Stone

Steven was born January 22, 1971 in Odessa, Texas. He is the youngest of four boys. Foretelling of his future as an engineer, little Stevie constantly needed some task or problem to engage his mind. One day, his mother, exasperated with trying to keep him occupied, passed him a spoon and told him, "Go dig." Stevie happily found some ground and started digging.

Most of Steven's childhood was spent in Hubbard, a small town (population 1,801) near Waco, Texas. But, wanting a more competitive education, he completed high school in La Porte, south of Houston. Though never a farm boy, Steven won the coveted Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo Scholarship.

After finishing his undergrad in aerospace engineering at Texas A&M, Steven moved to the East Coast to work at NASA Langley and attend graduate school at George Washington University.  Primed and ready for a career, Steven moved to Seattle in 1997 to take a job with "the local kite factory" better known as The Boeing Company. (Yes, the same company that brought Reina's grandfather to Seattle in 1969 AND the same company where Reina's father works as a technical writer AND where Reina's mother facilitates buying airplanes for Japan Airlines. Yumi and Steven actually work in the same building!)

Though Steven's work as a flutter engineer made use of his eye for pattern and design, the left-side of his brain needed more stimulation. He began studying photography in 1997 and picked up his first digital SLR in 2004. Despite other interests vying for his attention, he has a growing collection of photos that capture his unique perspective of people, structures and nature (that's his photo of a tulip). His exposure to the art scene prompted many great friendships and three years of participation at Burning Man. 

In 2002, after three years of living on Queen Anne with Carter, fellow Texan-Aggie-Boeing mate, Steven bought a condo north of Gas Works Park. With its stunning view of the city, the small town boy had come a long way. The condo was the perfect bachelor pad and Steven set to task courting women, determined to find the right one.

By 2004, Steven had enjoyed a decent engineering career on the 787 design team and was ready for a new challenge. Most people are content mastering just one subject, but Steven turned his focus to something entirely new: business. Just 5 months after meeting Reina, Steven started the University of Washington's fall 2004 evening MBA program. It was a grueling three years with full-time work, part-time school, and a lovely girlfriend with whom he wanted to spend as much time as possible, but Steven earned his MBA in June 2007. Reina is very happy to have his undivided attention once again, but knowing Steven, another major undertaking is just around the corner. Someone give the boy a spoon!

FAMILY:  Mom, Brenda, in Hubbard, TX.  Dad, Calvin, in Bastrop, TX. Brothers: Randy in Ohio with wife Aileen and children Ricky and Alyssa, Chris in Houston with wife Holly and daughters Lauren and Leila, Scott in Moscow with wife Sarah and daughters Priscilla and Hannah.

LIFE ASPIRATION: Master a new profession every few years.

MOTTO: "Work hard, play hard."

FAVORITE SAYING: "Use it or Lose it."  (He had no use for hair) {Very funny, Reina} (But you really do say that a lot!)

Get to Know Reina Lee Burnett

Reina was born September 17, 1977 in Vancouver, Washington. In 1979, her family moved to the Seattle community of Ballard. As a child, Reina was mischievous and impatient. She was sociable in a sense, but actually preferred spending time alone with her cat. Her most endearing quality was her compassion. She was deeply troubled by human treatment of animals and stopped eating birds and mammals at age 10.

In 1986, the Burnett family moved to Burien, south of Seattle. After graduating from Highline High School in 1995, Reina moved to Portland, Oregon to attend Reed College. One year later, she returned to her grandparents' home in Ballard and transferred to the more affordable University of Washington. She reached a crossroads when she had to decide between a semester abroad studying macaque monkeys in Jakarta, or staying in Seattle with her dying cat. She picked the cat, and two weeks after losing that cat, she tied herself down with two more cats.

Another factor deterring Reina from her dreams of field research was her promising job with SOFTrade, Intl., a small software start-up. When given an offer she couldn't refuse, Reina dropped out of the UW to work full-time managing development of DramaTalk, a language-learning program based on popular American TV. Two years later, wanting to turn her focus back to science, Reina returned to college. She wanted the private-school experience at a state-funded price, so she transferred to The Evergreen State College in Olympia.

In 1999, Reina returned to Ballard for the third time, this time to help care for her ailing grandmother. She persevered through 10 consecutive quarters at the UW to complete a BS in Psychology and a BS in Zoology. She had a stint in clinical research and another run with SOFTrade before taking a job with a veterinary cardiologist. After three years on the road with the mobile DVM, Reina was ready to stay at home. Since 2005, she has been telecommuting as Girl Friday to a forensic psychiatrist.

Reina continues to daydream about studying chimpanzees in the Congo, but makes do with her dog and two cats in the great Pacific Northwest. Aside from keeping busy with hiking, gardening, grandpa and friends, she volunteers with Big Brothers Big Sisters and keeps meaning to pick up piano lessons again.  She is still struggling to find her life's calling, but is inspired by Steven's belief that it's never too late to learn something new. She is also unsure if children are in her and Steven's future. Reina's terms for even considering Stone babies: a Democrat must win the White House in 2008, as that will put us back on track for a safer, more sustainable and more compassionate world.

FAMILY:  Still married (!!!) mom and dad, Bob and Yumi. Two-year older sister, Jennica, and her children: niece, 7-year old Kaiya, and nephew, 3-year old Ashton. Grandpa Harry (Mom's stepdad), Aunt Judy (Dad's sister), Uncle Kirk (Judy's husband), cousins Michael and John (Aunt Judy's sons). All family reside in the Northwest.

LIFE ASPIRATION:  Poach poachers and marry Stevie.

MOTTO: "Live simply, think freely, risk life and be needed."

FAVORITE SAYING: "Leave no stone unturned."  

Where We Live (and why Reina is half-Japanese)

Our living situation requires some explanation. Reina's mother, Yumi, was born in Japan. Yumi's mother, Mitsuko, was widowed when Yumi was an infant.  In 1961, Mitsuko married Harry Perry, a mechanic from Penobscot, Maine. Harry's work took his new wife and adopted teenage daughter first to Hawaii and then in 1969 to the Seattle community of Ballard. 

In 1979, Yumi moved with her husband and two daughters into her parent's basement in Ballard. They converted the 1925-built 2600 square foot home into a legal duplex. Reina's family moved out in 1986, but Reina returned ten years later to help care for Mitsuko-Obachan, who sadly passed away in 2000. In 2004, then 86 year-old Harry took a fall that put him in a wheelchair and necessitated his future in nursing facilities. Reina began the arduous process of emptying and updating the upstairs portion of the house, which had been neglected for decades.

In August 2006, Steven gave up his bachelor pad to move into the decrepit Ballard house with his fiancee and her menagerie. Steven now rents out his posh condo and instead spends his days sweeping away cobwebs and blowing cat dander out of his nose. He's picked up new hobbies, such as sheetrocking, painting, plumbing, demolition and electrical work. Steven and Reina hope to move upstairs in winter 2007. It's uncertain how much longer the Ballard home will be in the family, but wherever Steven and Reina live, friends and family will always be welcome.