How Did You Meet Your Significant Other?
Henrik and I met through music.
Back in the 1980s, he had his own music project alongside the band he was playing in at the time. He was producing a song and needed a female vocalist to sing backing vocals. I had been singing throughout my childhood and teenage years, so when he asked me, I thought it sounded exciting. Of course, I said yes.
Neither of us knew then that one simple song would become the beginning of a lifetime together.
We quickly became best friends. We spent almost every day together, talking, laughing, creating and sharing music. For about six months, that was simply what we were – very close friends. Then, somewhere along the way, I think we both realised that perhaps what we were looking for had been right in front of us all along.
We shared so much: music, creativity, curiosity about the world, but most importantly, a deep respect for each other’s thoughts, values and dreams.
The year was 1988
So, in 1988, we became a couple.
And 38 years later, we are still best friends.
We still make music and art together.
We travel the world, explore new places and try never to lose sight of the small joys hidden in ordinary days.
Perhaps that friendship at the very beginning became one of the strongest foundations of everything that followed.
Along the way, we were given two children – two beautiful souls who fitted perfectly into our slightly creative, adventurous world.
But life also gave us a heartbreak no parent should ever have to experience. Our son was only 18 when he was killed in an act of senseless violence.
Grief is deeply individual, even within a family. We each had to find our own way through something that changed our lives forever. Yet somehow, instead of pulling us apart, it brought us even closer together.
Henrik, our daughter and I became our own little team – the Three Musketeers – continuing to walk forward together while living a life that was meant for four.
And we still carry that fourth person with us.
Today, the three of us still travel together, make music together and fill our lives with creativity, experiences and those everyday moments of happiness that have always mattered so much to us.
Ruudfamily
Music, the very thing that brought Henrik and me together, is still part of our family story.
As Ruudfamily, we have released music on platforms including Spotify, and our songs have travelled much farther than we ever imagined back then – played in Norway, on radio in Thailand and in other parts of the world.
I love that our story began with a song.
Because 38 years later, we are still creating, still travelling, still curious about what comes next – and still choosing each other.
The love has changed and grown through the years, of course. Life has tested it, shaped it and given it deeper meaning.
But underneath everything is what was there before we ever became a couple: friendship, respect, creativity, adventure – and the simple joy of being together.
Maybe that is why, after all these years, it still feels like our journey has only just begun.
Beaitiful…
Thank you so much 🙏🥰