Finally!

Yep, we were those people: single parents with limited time and energy, putting out feelers for what it was like in the dating field. Being in Jvl I (Liz) cast a wider net (no 20 y/os please!) and a cute guy popped up in my matches. First impressions: - he loved his daughters - he did fun things (“Hamilton” date with the girls in one pic and wearing a kilt in another?! Hello you!) - his profile was succinct but honest - oh, and, he had a beard ☺️ Being in Winston-Salem Marc’s net was much smaller, and I would never have shown up in his matches if I hadn’t (you guessed it) 👍🏻 his profile. A 👍🏻 on something I said on mine led to a conversation about our day, our kiddos, a whole lot of teasing me about my inability to remember peoples’ names (all the while not letting me know he shared that defect), and a back and forth “argument” about grammar where he suavely called me “pretty” and “smart”. Yep, Marc is smooth. 😍 Marc’s first impression of Liz: She’s got something different to offer and is extremely cute without trying to be.

If I’m (Liz) going to break rules, like talking to a cute guy online, I might as well go big! I asked him out first. And he said- “No”. REWIND: Actually, it was more of a timing issue than a hard no. Marc had the girls the weekend I asked him to go to Raleigh’s Art Festival (it was halfway between us) with me. He followed it up a few days later with a request that I join him in Raleigh on the following weekend for “Sugar Rush”, a whole street of dessert food trucks (a diabetic’s dream). And that was how we met, on the corner of Davis and Fayetteville, in the heat and humidity of May 29th, 2022. Over four miles of walking and talking, tropical drinks in pineapples, and a dinner where étouffée won him a second date, we started what would become an amazing adventure.

(Marc) I asked around and everyone said the best thing to do in Jacksonville was to go to the beach. So that’s where I took Liz on our second date- North Topsail Beach. And that became “our” beach every date in Jacksonville until the weather turned. It was the perfect spot to relax and just talk. We’d get there in the early afternoon and stay until moonrise, then head to dinner. (Liz) Marc pursued me with leader focus and a servant’s heart. Over and over he made the 3.5 hour drive from Winston-Salem to Jacksonville to steal me away. Between walks on the beach, depths of conversation, dates every two weeks, and a focus on intent, we fell in love. That love has been examined, tested, talked through, prayed over, and finally planned for.

When Marc picked me up on December 10th to go stocking stuffer shopping for the girls, I got highly suspicious when we made a turn for the beach instead of town. When we walked onto the beach and there was a stake in the sand with an envelope addressed to “Elizabeth” I was intrigued (especially when the message turned out to be in code and I needed our decoder rings to figure it out). Five envelopes and a walk down the beach later I “Turn Around” to find Marc on his knee in the sand holding a box with a bow and a proposal. “Yes”. Always, “Yes”.

This is us! Marc + Liz + Mcaffery + Sutton + Bredon = a family that will be crazy fun, crazy creative, and crazy in love (and some days crazy-crazy). It’s going to take some adjustment but we’re excited to be joining our lives with one another, and our new family with yours. As you have continued to do so through this dating/engagement/wedding process, we covet your continued love, support, and prayers. Neither Marc nor I have lead a “crockpot” family and we know there will be much to learn about how to parent well, press into God, and prioritize our marriage. You being part of this stage, and all the stages to come, is a huge blessing to us. Thank you!!