America’s Most Captivating Couples 2008
Newton, Massachusetts
Jennifer Chrisler, 37, Executive Director, Family Equality Council
Cheryl Jaques, 45, Lawyer, Brody, Hardoon, Perkins & Kesten
Jennifer and Cheryl met almost 15 years ago when Jennifer got involved in Cheryl’s campaign for state senate. They were friends for five years before they started dating. As the Executive Director of the Family Equality Council (formerly Family Pride), Jennifer fights for the rights of all loving families, regardless of blood relation or sexual orientation. In addition to being a lawyer, Cheryl is the former head of the Human Rights Campaign. They are the proud parents of two sons, Tom and Tim, age five. “We love spending time with our kids, playing checkers, go fish and Connect Four. For gown-up fun, we love going to estate sales to find treasures, and taking long walks together,” says Jennifer. Their secret: “We try to remember to attack our problems instead of each other. Whenever we face adversity in our lives, we remain focused on what we are trying to solve instead of getting angry with each other about the situation we’re in. It also helps to have a good sense of humor, and to laugh together often.”
The results are in! After a grueling selection process, we’ve skimmed the sweet cream off this year’s batch of entries and whipped it into GO’s most captivating couples of 2008. Many more couples coming soon!
Claire & Stephenie
New York, New York
Claire Borelli, 50, Bond Broker
Stephenie Harris, 37, Wine Importer
Stephenie and Claire went to the same college a couple of years apart, but it was through an online dating service that they finally found each other. “I saw Claire’s picture and said, ‘that’s her!’” Before long they were talking on the phone and arranging a rendez-vous. “We met at a great little restaurant in the Meatpacking district for a glass of wine. From the moment we saw one another, we were wowed!” These two share a passion for golf, as well as for each other. “We both arrived at this relationship comfortable and at peace with our lives,” says Stephenie. “That makes it so easy to focus on the good things.”
