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Nan and C.A. Howlett Wedding Date: Dec. 6, 2003
Photographed by Cassandra Tomei

A Colorado proposal and wedding sealed the deal for Nan and C.A. Howlett, even though
their first interaction was a little less than love at first sight.

“When I moved back to Phoenix from Paris in 2001, we were set up on a blind date for
lunch,” says Nan, a community volunteer and chair of the 2008 Heart Ball, in addition to
numerous other Valley organizations. “It was probably the most inauspicious beginning
of all time because the events of 9/11 had just taken place, so C.A. was very
preoccupied.” During their date, C.A., vice president of public affairs for U.S. Airways,
maintained close communication with officials in Washington on one cell phone and
Diamondback executives on another, due to the Diamondbacks successfully making it
to the World Series. “So we basically didn’t get a single solitary word in and yet it still
worked,” Nan says.

However, C.A. became much more vocal while proposing to Nan on a snowmobiling trip
in Telluride, Colo. “All of a sudden, we got off the snowmobiles in the middle of nowhere
and he got very philosophical and I thought, ‘What is he talking about?’” Nan recalls.
“And the next thing I knew he was down on one knee, practically up to his armpits in
snow with a diamond ring. I could have fainted, honestly.”

Though the pair maintain busy schedules, Nan says their ability to keep the spark alive
rests in reserving time for one another. “We just always make the most of the time
we have alone.” —N.B.