New Southside residents and lovely new friends of mine, Tara and Nabil Elsheshai brought a big smile to my face this month when I scored an in-depth interview full of questions I hadn’t yet asked. Together for over twenty years now, their adventurous story continues to unfold in the most interesting, unpredictable ways. When I asked Tara to start from the beginning, she said, “Well, how long do you have?!” Apparently, there are two different versions of the first chapter. We all know the woman’s is usually more accurate... so, without further ado, sit back and enjoy this one. 

 

It was Halloween night in 2001, back in San Francisco. Tara was newly single and hadn’t met too many people in the city. Her friends encouraged her to just come out and meet a certain fun group of guys. Then they’d venture out for festivities with a larger group. She gave in and pieced together what she calls a “totally cliché cat costume”. Upon arrival, she approached the bar to order drinks. There he stood. Who doesn’t love a cowboy? She thinks it could have been his giant foam hat that initially did it for her. After a few minutes of chatting, she realized two things. He was: 1.) part of that group of guys, and 2.) a fraudulent cowboy. Although sparks flew, he disappeared to go home that night, while Tara and her group ventured onward with his friends. His loss!

 

A few weeks later, she was out for a birthday party and made eye contact with a good-looking guy who was in the middle of telling a story. He had a big group of people crowded around him at the time, so it must have been interesting. Tara decided to walk past him a second time for good measure, and that time he paused the story to step away and say hi. He asked her to “wait a minute”, so she stood and listened, learning more about him as he talked. When he asked her to stay and hang out, she stuck with her friends and moved on to the next establishment.  At least the guy got her number and invited her to his annual holiday party. As her friends were walking out, they asked, “Who were you talking to?”. Tara said something like, “The bald guy.  He has an unusual name”.  In tandem, they asked, “Was it Nabil?!”  As it turned out, they knew Nabil and had already incorporated his party into an annual tradition.  Tara was looking forward to her personal invitation, but IT NEVER CAME! Admittedly disappointed and surprised he hadn’t followed up, she started fishing around for more information.   One friend said he had run into Nabil a couple of weeks prior and her name came up. Nabil said, “You know Tara? I was going to invite her to the party and lost her number! Can I get it from you?” 

 

Tara didn’t make it to the party but got a special call while she was in Arizona for her sister’s wedding later that week.  Nabil was on a family cruise when he took the first step.  What was funny was how it took a few calls for the cat and the cowboy to realize that they’d first met Halloween night.  Although both encounters fueled attraction, they each thought they’d met two different people on those two different nights. Tara’s ears and whiskers must have hidden her beautiful face, as Nabil’s cowboy hat covered his head to an extent that made them unrecognizable to one another on the second meeting! Several months went by and more calls were exchanged, but they didn’t ever manage a date. One day Tara was in Napa for a wine tasting when she spotted Nabil sitting across the crowded room. Just as she flirtatiously locked eyes with him and the crowd began to clear, she caught a glimpse of his beautiful date sitting next to him. Bummed out, assuming she had been put into the friend zone, Tara reluctantly introduced herself and invited them to her group’s next location. Although it seemed hopeless, she continued to talk about Nabil to her friends and they teased her right and left about the situation.

 

Shortly thereafter, Tara was in New Orleans with her friends. One said to her, “Guess who is coming to Jazz Fest? ... NABIL!”  Tara may have obtained some liquid courage and picked up the phone and called him right then and there to see if he was indeed on his way.  Hearing his affirmation, she asked, “Are you bringing your girlfriend?”  He responded, “I actually don’t have a girlfriend.” She ended the conversation with, “That’s nice to know!” and hung up the phone for the night, pleased that she had another chance. 

 

They’ve been together ever since that Jazz Fest.

 

Tara, now a busy homemaker, is originally from Missoula, Montana. Prior to meeting Nabil in California, she lived in Arizona and Michigan with school programs taking her to Mexico, France, and Quebec. She holds a Bachelor of Arts from Arizona State University and a Master of Business Administration in International Management from Thunderbird School of Global Management.  Nabil, now a Mutual Fund Portfolio Manager with Thrivent Financial, was born and raised in Atlanta, Georgia and lived in Nashville, Tennessee through his college years. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Engineering from Vanderbilt University and a Master of Science in Engineering  from Georgia Tech. The couple has lived together San Francisco, Portland, Minneapolis, Atlanta, and San Diego. They had their son in 2014, who made many of the moves with them. They most recently lived in Chicago before moving to Sarasota last year.

 

Sarasota used to be a vacation destination for the family, until they decided to move from the Windy City and make it their full-time home last year. They landed upon their unique 1930s home on Bay View with the help of Nabil’s mom, who lives just ten minutes away. She originally found the property while driving through the neighborhood one day.  Shortly after moving in, they received a couple of little housewarming gifts. Not one, but TWO back-to-back hurricanes swept in with a vengeance. The first one was just two days after the move. By the grace of God, the charming old house sustained zero damage… not even Nabil’s office (the pool house) was phased! Now they’re finally settling in and having fun with renovations and house projects.

 

Their favorite feature of the home, so far, is the beautiful and comfy outdoor space that it offers. They have started entertaining guests around the pool, while their adorable Basenji (Nilah) wags her curly little tail and follows everyone around. They practically have a waiting list for out-of-town friends and family to come and get away. They cook anything that tastes good on a grill, as they enjoy the Florida sunshine. When dinners are over, they play games of Catan and Risk or perhaps venture out for family bike rides to Downtown Sarasota, Siesta Beach, or Legacy Trail. Close proximity to so many wonderful attractions, as well as Alexander's school, have made the home such a convenient place to live.

 

Growing older and gaining more and more independence, Alexander continues to spice up their lives and complete the family perfectly. He loves trying all sorts of new things. He has enjoyed learning sports like golf, basketball, swimming, fencing, and flag football over recent years. He also enjoys building Lego projects, roaming the neighborhood with all the many kids who live close by, and is currently building a computer with his dad. He just finished 5th grade at Southside Elementary School, where Tara loves to volunteer with the PTO organization. He’ll be going to Sarasota School of Arts and Sciences next academic year.  

 

“Many of our neighbors are already great friends. A special memory we made this year was our first Halloween in the neighborhood. Alexander went off without us, accompanying his new buddies, while I cried crocodile tears. We socialized with our new neighbors and met a plethora of new people. That was the first time we truly learned what a great neighborhood we moved into!”

 

Be sure to extend a welcoming hello to Tara, Nabil and Alexander if you see them in the area! You’ll be glad you did. They are so friendly and fun. In the meantime, I will enjoy teasing them about the history of their union.