Ben and I met the first time on Halloween (2004). Ben was a snowflake and I was a nerd. It was only a few minutes, but I liked him so much instantly. My friend Camille and I left there saying how (I believe the word was "hot") he was... I think I actually dreamt about him.

The second meeting was New Years Eve (2005). I knew it was going to be a great year for me... My beautiful friends (Jeremiah and Ginger) took me to a party in Long Beach, turns out it was Bens apartment. We stayed till the sun came up and brought in the New Year talking and laughing. I was so inspired for weeks. Meeting all these creative, amazing people. I suddenly felt like I wanted to do more, like I wanted to help change the world...and for the first time ever, I really felt it was possible. I know my world changed.

My golden birthday (26 on the 26th, January, 2005) KUNG-FU party at the Newport House. My birthday that year I will never forget. Kung-Fu theme, amazing friends, it was unbelievable! Fire dancers, everyone dressed in appropriate Asian inspired clothing and speaking in dub:) Sake, sushi and "everybody was Kung-Fu fighting..." Ben and Heidi came and brought me a really cool tea set with a card that Ben made with Bruce Lee throwing a piece of cake, he had written a haiku inside... I loved it, still have it actually.

Shortly after Kung-Fu madness Ben moved up to Santa Barbara, I hadn't seen him in months. It was June 16th (I think) when Johnny took me up to Santa Barbara for Tonys annual Love Fest. It was an incredible weekend. I learned so much and had so much fun. Johnny and I became better friends on the trip and I really had a chance to get to know Ben. We slept on his floor and when I woke up in the morning Ben was staring at me. There was a huge spider next to my head so I got up pretty fast, but it was a beautiful moment. I went home after that weekend and wrote him a thank you card. He wrote back and we became pen pals... maybe I'll post some of those first letters (so amazing!)

Johnny called early one sunday morning and said he needed me to come over. Ben and I had been writting, but apparently not telling anyone. When I showed up at Johnnys, Ben was there. I hugged his head (we both blushed)... Johnny told us he was gonna be a daddy. He had chosen to tell Ben and I at the same time. We loved him and he equally loved us. Who knew that summer that only a year and a half later we would be calling to tell Johnny the same news? It still gives me goosebumps. My favorite boys:)

www.burningman.com So, I knew Ben was a "burner"; he had gone to Burningman for years. In our letters he had given me his phone number and I called him the second I opened it. We talked almost every day. He became my best friend. He asked me if I was going that year and even asked again in a letter. My mom already knew I had fallen in love with him (actually everyone knew, I think Ben and I were the last to know we were in love). I could be having the worst day and come home and see that there was a letter from Ben and totally light up. I was beaming. So when he asked if I was going I casually said I was considering it (while inside I was jumping up and down screaming in excitement). I had just started a really great job in Newport Beach that I hated. There was basically nothing in the world, short of maybe a nuclear explosion, that was going to keep me from going. I bought a ticket, quit my job, and prepared myself for a brand new life. I had nothing in the world holding me back and no idea what was ahead of me...

I packed up my corolla and headed up to Santa Barbara, I met Ben at the farmers market to stock up on some fruits and veggies for the trip. The road trip was the start of our life together. We fell in love on the road and had our first kiss at the fateful rest stop. That’s were I met Brittany for the first time too! Our new family was forming. Canon and Brittany met us there the second day and we continued on to Black Rock City. I met Isabella and Atom and got to know Daniel, Miranda, Percy, Morgan, Jessica Joy, Michael Wood, Will and all the folks that would soon be such wonderful friends and inspiration in our life together.

That week in the desert changed my entire reality! I always thought I had a grasp on it and that week burned it all in a blaze of magical beauty. Ben and I kept looking at each other like "where did you come from"... It was as if I had created him, he was everything I had ever dreamed of and more... and always more, everyday (still). On the 7th day in the desert, the night of the burn, we woke up and he said "do you want to get married?" and I said "o.k." and he said "today?" and I said "sure"... we went to our next door neighbor, who happened to be Reverend Gian, and asked him if he would marry us? His response was "no, absolutely not." and we went back to camp with our bubbles burst. We sat down and decided it would be a commitment for one year and we would use that year to introduce each other to our families and get to know each other better. We wrote it all down on paper and planned the ceremony. We went back about an hour later with the pages and plans and he finally agreed. Ben wrote on the front of the car: Wedding 4:00 at the Temple...

Meanwhile, back at the camp our brother Canon was also proposing marriage to his beautiful girlfriend (my soon-to-be-sister) Brittany. She also said yes! So, we all got pretty (which didn't take too long) and had a lovely precession out to the Temple of Dreams (by Mark Grieve *photos below*) It could not have been more perfect. The sun was setting, we said our vows, and we painted each other and put our hands in the playa mud. Canon and Brittany did their ceremony (including brushing of the teeth:) and we all enjoyed rum and coconuts in actual coconuts with straws (provided by Ben) to the sound of a magnificent harpist (I'll add his name later)... perfect.

After Burningman... we go back home, very much in love. I meet Andy and all our Mountain Drive loved ones upon arrival. I had to go back, although it was hard. We spent a month commuting back and forth to see each other, until I couldn't take it anymore. I packed up the Corolla again (this time with my entire life) and said goodbye, for now, to mom and Mike. Moving to Mountain Drive was the best move I ever made. The greatest community on Earth! I will defend that. Life with Ben is beautiful and magical and all of the best adjectives you can think of. So the following year, Burningman 2006, he asked me again and we renewed it...

Although it is beautiful and perfect and fitting that Ben and I would make up our own rules about marriage and make it all up as we go along, we decided it would be in the best interest of our little family to all have the same name. So, Friday 4/13/07 (yes, Friday the 13th) we went down to the Santa Barbara courthouse and got some legally binding papers. We were not going to have a ceremony, per say, but...

Sunday 4/15/07 our lovely friend Chip officiated a little something. In attendance were: Chips dandelion of a daughter Sage, Chips fairy-like fiancée Niki, our wise man number two Tony Moss, and our sassy sister Brittany. It was short and sweet; we wore our wedding jeans and said a couple words to each other. Niki said a prayer, Tony sang a song, Brittany did an interpretive dance and Sage tossed jade plant leaves at us. The ceremony was followed by one of the best meals I have had in this life at Canons restaurant... Beautiful and Perfect (yet again)

So, it is official and as soon as we get the copy of the certificate, I will do the social security, DMV, and all other important junk switch and officially be Michelle Ciccati.

this just in: Michelle really has the hots for Ben.