We met in March 1998 through mutual friends. And when you know you've met the right person, you just know: in October of that same year, we decided to get married. We moved in together and began planning our wedding, which took place on April 2, 2000.

Dorai is in his mid-thirties and was born in India. (For more information on his cultural heritage, please visit the Portal for Kerala Iyers.) Dorai has lived in the States for thirteen years, both studying and working here. He currently works at On Semiconductor as a materials scientist. He likes to paint, acrylics being his medium of choice, and enjoyed long-distance running until he tore a ligament playing squash in college. He's also recently taken up woodworking and would be tickled as anything if you struck up a conversation with him about it.

Melinda is in her late twenties. She was born in Chicago, but has lived in Phoenix since she was five years old and considers herself an Arizona native. Her background is mostly German (her great-grandparents were immigrants) but she has just enough Irish thrown in to give her a liking for Guinness and a short temper. In addition to her full-time job as a graphic artist at TriWest Healthcare Alliance, she works as a freelance consultant under the brand name Red Matter Creative. She's got a serious travel bug and would spend several months each year exploring the world with her husband if reality weren't an issue. She enjoys homebrewing, both beer and mead, and recently completed her first 5K.

Both of us are relaxed homebody types with a penchant for the great outdoors. Our favorite things to do include hiking and camping, spending time with family and friends, and playing with our Shelties, Tigger and Buddy.

And if you're wondering how to say our last name, here's a sound file to help you out. (Surprise: it's a non-Caucasian word and does not rhyme with "fire.")

Now that we've told you all about ourselves, we'd love to hear from you! Please sign our guestbook and let us know you dropped by.