America’s Most Captivating Couples 2007
Daria “Deno” Orechwa
27, Graduate Student/Youth Services Counselor
Ingrid “Inno” Dahl
26, Rock Musician/Editor/GO Writer/Founding Member of the Willie Mae Rock Camp for Girls
San Francisco, CA & Jersey City, NJ
Deno and Inno met at Rutgers University in (year). Today, Deno is a graduate student at San Francisco State, and assists queer teens at the Huckleberry House shelter. Her goal is to open a queer community center someday with its own thrift store. At the Willie Mae Rock Camp for Girls, Inno also works with teens—managing their bands and teaching them to play different instruments. In addition, she’s a writer for GO and plays in the groups Boyskout, The 303s, and Lismore. This couple, who say they “like to make out and lay on each other everywhere we go,” are currently in a long-distance relationship. What keeps it on track? “Teamwork; consideration; independence; admiration; text messages; imaginary scenarios; missing one another; extreme cuteness; generosity; and phenomenal sex.”
It was difficult to narrow down the entries, but we finally did it–and the result is the year’s most captivating couples! Ranging from a historic preservationist to a superhero to a TV talk show host (times two), it’s great to see so many proud women, not just in love, but spreading that love around and making the world a brighter place. Their stories inspired us, and we know they’ll inspire you, too. Say hello to this year’s sweethearts.
DIANNE & JULIE
Dianne DeLucca
42, Owner and Operator of the Jameson Bed and Breakfast
Julie Smith
44, Owner and Operator of the Jameson Bed and Breakfast
Long Beach, CA & Dalton, PA
They say the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach. Turns out, it’s also the way to a woman’s! In 2002, Dianne was so bowled over by Julie’s food at San Francisco’s Lark Creek Inn that she requested to see her. “Bam! Out came Julie. In that moment, we both knew that we had each met our soul mate,” they say. Almost five years later, Julie and Dianne are still together and have six kids. They describe their home and business, the Jameson Bed and Breakfast, as “a labor of love and compromise.” Another labor of love is their charity work: Julie cooks for two women’s shelters, while Dianne delivers “meals on wheels.” Though Julie is the chef, both know the ingredients to a good partnership— “love, respect, laughter, and the ability to really listen and communicate with each other.” Recently, Dianne was diagnosed with cancer, but the two are determined to view each day “as a gift.” And “yes,” Dianne assures us, “marriage is in our future.”
