He is the 44th President of the United States, and she - is not just a political activist
but his mentor, ally and inspiration.
Together they make one of the most beloved couples in the US.
Michelle and Barack Obama have had each other's backs for 26 years, and all the while retaining
the sweet spark of romance.
Watch the video to find out more about their touching love story and why Michelle almost
turned down Barack when they first met!
Michelle Robinson grew up in a middle-class family on the South Side of Chicago and was
inspired from an early age to follow in her brother’s footsteps and go to Princeton University.
Her teachers tried to talk her out of it, often saying she was "setting her sights too high".
But young Michelle was highly determined to reach success.
She didn’t know it yet, but every step she took led her to not only build her career,
but also to meet the love of her life.
Just fresh out of school, Michelle got job at Chicago's Sidley Austin law firm and was
assigned to mentor a summer intern - 26 year old Barack Obama.
Michelle recalls: "Because I went to Harvard and he went to Harvard, and the firm thought,
'Oh, we'll hook these two people up”.
Young Miss Robinson was absolutely dedicated to her work and wasn’t looking for romance,
especially not at the workplace.
But Barack Obama’s heart was shot with Cupid’s arrow the moment he saw Michelle enter the room.
In an interview with Oprah, he recalls: "I remember being struck by how tall and beautiful she was.
She, I have since learned, was pleasantly surprised to see that my nose and ears weren't
quite as enormous as they looked in the photo I'd submitted for the firm directory."
Barack asked Michelle to go out with him several times.
But as a lady of strong beliefs and principles, she wasn’t going to date her co-workers.
She thought it would harm her work status, saying: "Barack, about a month in, asked me
out, and I thought 'No way.
This is completely tacky.'"
But no amount of rejection could stop the enamored young Obama’s decision to not take
no for an answer.
And it was probably his persistence that finally made an impression on Michelle and she had
to give in to his request.
Even though Barack asked Michelle out for lunch at the Art Institute of Chicago, she
refused to call it a date.
Reflecting on that day, Michelle said:"He showed all the sides - he was hip, cutting
edge, cultural, sensitive.
The fountain - nice touch.
The walk - patient".
The couple took a walk and ended up seeing the Spike Lee film "Do The Right Thing."
Michelle was pleasantly surprised after getting to know Barack better.
The perfect date ended off with the perfect kiss.
"On our first date, I treated her to the finest ice cream Baskin-Robbins had to offer, our
dinner table doubling as the curb.
I kissed her, and it tasted like chocolate."
- says Barack.
Both strong, passionate and willing to do something great for the sake of other people,
they match each other perfectly.
Sitting next to a lop-eared young intern on a bench that night, Michelle had no idea that
they would soon be fighting storms together, hand in hand on their way to success.
Their perfect first day inspired director Richard Tanne to make a biographical romantic
drama called Southside With You.
Tika Sumpter, was very nervous portraying "Michelle Obama, who is everything every woman
wants to be".
In real-life, the Baskin-Robbins ice cream parlor, where the couple had their first kiss
is now marked with a historical plaque.
Two years later the couple got engaged in a simple way.
They were having dinner and celebrating Barack passing his bar exam.
Michelle had no idea that the main acceptance that Barack was waiting for that night was
not from the law bar collegium but from her.
In an interview Michelle, reminisced on that night: "And then the waiter came over with
the dessert and a tray.
And there was the ring."
Obama simply got on one knee and asked her to marry him.
She was completely shocked but of course said “yes”.
They got married in 1992.
Michelle noted that her husband's vows absolutely lived up to what their life is like now.
"Barack didn't pledge riches, only a life that would be interesting.
On that promise he delivered," - says the former first lady.
However, the historian David Garrow wrote about Obama's possible romance with another
women he used to date, while he was already in a relationship with Michelle.
In his book Rising Star: The Making of Barack Obama, his ex-girlfriend allegedly confirmed
seeing Barack, while he was dating his future wife in 1990.
True or not, it all remains history and didn't make Michelle and Barack's relationship weaker.
A couple of years later, Barack was elected to the Illinois Senate.
Michelle was standing beside him, supporting his career.
Michelle’s former boss recalls: "I never heard Barack say, 'I want to do it.
Can you support me?'."
Instead they were doing what was good for them both.
Behind every successful man there is a strong woman.
So while Barack was building his political career, Michelle was not only supporting him
but trying out her new role - as a mom.
In 1998 Michelle gave birth to Malia Ann Obama.
Just three years later the couple had a new addition to the family, Natasha Obama, a.k.a Sasha.
While Barack was running for Senate, Michelle was still working and raising their two daughters.
She recalls: "I didn't have a babysitter, so I took Sasha right in there with me in
her crib and her rocker.
I was still nursing, so I was wearing my nursing shirt.”
It must have been undoubtedly hard to cope with all that, but Michelle managed to do
it gracefully.
"The great thing about the girls is they've got a wonderful role model in their mom,"
says Obama.
Though Barack was already working in the senate for a couple of years, he only became the
State Senator of Illinois in 2004.
The family quickly stepped into the spotlight.
Michelle was actively taking part in his campaign but also found time to do her own work as
the vice president for Community and External Affairs at the University of Chicago Hospital.
Her energy and dedication is probably what inspired Obama to pursue the idea of running
for the Presidential campaign.
As always, hand in hand, Michelle and Barack went through the stress and pressure of the
elections.
They danced so elegantly during the official Inaugural Ball during Beyonce’s performance
of Aretha Franklin song “At last”.
Barack once joked that being married to Michelle was what people loved most about him.
"If you were going to list the 100 most popular things that I have done as president, being
married to Michelle Obama is number one," he said in his State of the Union address in 2010.
When Obama got re-elected for the first time, Michelle started advocating for healthy eating
initiatives.
In an interview, Obama confessed that he counts on Michelle in many ways, as she still remains
not only his love but a friend and his “rock”.
"Michelle is one of the smartest people I know.
She is my chief counsel and adviser.
I would never make big decisions without asking her opinion.
Certainly about my career and my life.”
It seems that living in marriage for almost 30 years made their bond even stronger.
It’s easy to see how much love they share when they look into each other's eyes.
They are never shy to show how much they love each other.
On their 25th wedding anniversary, Michelle tweeted: “ A quarter of a century later,
you're still my best friend and the most extraordinary man I know.”
We were all so touched when Barack Obama couldn’t hold his tears back while talking about Michelle
during his farewell speech.
Even though they do not live in the White House anymore, they seem to enjoy their normal
life.
After eight years in the oval office, they both want to have a bit of ordinary family time.
Michelle said she wanted to finally go back to her old habits she loved to do, like going
shopping at Target.
Michelle revealed to Oprah: "I want to open my front door without discussing it with anyone
— and just walk."
The couple decided to stay in Washington D.C. because the youngest daughter Sasha is still
finishing school there.
The family now spends a lot of time together travelling to Italy, Hawaii, and even Necker
Island in the British Virgin Islands.
They even got caught kite surfing and water rafting.
Michelle went from a lovely first kiss to watching her husband give the Presidential
speech, from adjusting his tie to pursuing her own political work.
They were able to withstand all that pressure with the help of their strong love, that they
still cherish to this day.
Speaking about his daughters, Obama said: "They've seen how Michelle and I interact
— not only the love but also the respect that I show to their mom.
So I think they have pretty high expectations about how relationships should be…”
And we have to admit that looking at the Obama family, we also dream of such a perfect love
story happening to us.
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