How did your love story begin?

My best friend had driven me to the grocery store. The manager ran by. “He’s cute, has a job. Why aren’t you dating him?” “I think he’s married. He doesn’t even flirt.” “Why don’t you find out?” One day, I overheard him speaking flawless French. He had studied in Paris, when he mentioned it his face lit up. Soon we were discussing books among the oranges. I offered to cook him dinner in exchange for a translation for my job. We went for a walk in the rain.

What is your favorite memory you've shared as a couple?

There are many. We married on Bastille Day, in the cathedral where he was baptized. Our wedding colors were those the French flag; red, white and blue. At the reception, I surprised him by singing a French love song. He cried when I sang, and said he fell in love with me all over again. We honeymooned in Ireland, and took a trip to Italy for our 10th anniversary. One of the best memories is Frank and me, dancing to big band music on the Piazza San Marco in Venice.

What would you do with $20,000?

We would pay off our Visa bill (furnace and plumbing repairs from the last year.) We would replace the front door, which badly needs it. Maybe we would get the interior painted in our home. The last five years have been hard--we've taken care of but lost parents, dealt with illnesses, job losses--but have come out the stronger. So we would tuck some away for a 20th anniversary trip to France, where my husband was a scholarship student in Paris. And we would dance there as well.