“It still impresses me how knowledgeable, smart, and curious my husband is on many topics,” said Mrs. Simeonidis. “He is always reading and learning.”
Mr. Simeonidis is also surprised by his wife’s personality even today. “She seems very sweet, and she certainly is. But she also has a will of steel. That always impresses me.”
The couple met when they were both working at a law firm on Wall Street. Mrs. Simeonidis thought he was “dapper and mysterious” and Mr. Simeonidis thought she was “very kind and quite pretty.”
At the time, she was working in the recruiting department while he was a summer associate.
Their first date was sweet and simple: they went to lunch and had burgers and a beer. One thing led to another, and soon, they were getting married.
“We had a traditional Church wedding and a reception afterwards with lots of great music and dancing,” says Mr. Simeonidis.
The two have two sons now, Stephen and Andrew, and a dog named Marley.
According to Mr. Simeonidis, the births of their two sons are the most memorable moments he shares with his spouse. “I did not expect them to come out so blue and wrinkly. Happily, they have gotten much better looking.”
Not only have their children grown up, but they also travel with their sons to see many parts of the world. “I will always remember when we attended the Olympics in Greece with our sons and spent time with our Greek relatives,” says Ms. Simeonidis. “Each day of that trip was a fantastic experience and will never be forgotten.
The family loves Christmas and has had many traditions over the years.
“We used to go with our boys to chop down our own Christmas tree every year,” they say.
Christmas Eve used to be for extended family with lots of food–traditionally, seven kinds of seafood.
“Now we have started a new tradition,” says the couple. “We choose a fun place in the world to meet and and celebrate Christmas together with our sons in that place. Maybe a different place, maybe even no tree, but as long as we are together, it’s Christmas. “
Now that Mr. and Mrs. Simeonidis work together, they are able to spend more time together and can slip away for a few minutes from their work and have lunch together.
Mrs. Simeonidis says, “A perk [of working at the same place] is we now have the same schedule–same vacation and holidays. Another perk is that I get to catch glimpses of my husband every now and then.”
Mr. Simeonidis also loves working together at the same school. “I like walking to school in the mornings with [her]. On the rare occasion we can have lunch together, that’s like a special bonus.”