John & Jen Hein
Love. I love my family who have been so supportive and fun through the years. I love my friends and am so fortunate to have loyal friends from elementary and high school in Paradise. Through the years the sport of tennis has introduced me to so many more friends whom I love and now as a college tennis coach, my team is a family and the more we love each other, the more fun we have and the more meaningful the relationships are.
With so many sources of love flowing in my life from fairly predictable sources, I am still surprised by the greatest love in my life. Meeting my wife Jen was both predictable and unpredictable. We both grew up in small towns in the West. We both studied and taught Biology (though I had recently focused on tennis). We both played tennis (though Jen was newer to the game than I. So, yes, it was obvious we might get along. What wasn't obvious was how we would meet given that she lived in Portland and I lived in Walla Walla, a four hour drive away. This is where our love of friends paid dividends as our friends Katie and Mike patiently and persistently pestered us to meet. I could not be more thankful of anything for that patience because Jen is my true love not because we enjoy the same things (which is great), but because she has a heart that is so big I feel surrounded by her support and love all the time. She has a mind so sharp that every day we can talk, laugh, plan and play and the only regret we have is that there aren't enough hours in the day or months in the year. She is my love, my life, my family and in a life full of love Jen you are at the heart of this charmed life I've lead and I can't wait for tomorrow.
