We’re getting married!

If you are reading this, my guess would be you are already are aware of our unique story. Tragedy did the unfortunate job, it brought us together. One night on May 18, 2022, I went out to dinner with two of my children, we were sitting at the bar in a local restaurant called Papapavlo's. The bartender, a friend of mine, said "Hey what do you think of the guy at the end of the bar with the tattoos". I said "Well I can't see his tattoos from here" and she laughed, saying "No, I meant him". At the time I was not looking or even interested in men as my husband had only passed away in January. My friend then proceeded to tell me that this man also just recently lost his wife in February. I found that to be a very unfortunate reality we were both living in. Later that night, we had gone out for some drinks and she and I started "researching" aka stalking his social media. Reading his story and seeing his beautiful life unfold led me to reaching out to him on Facebook. I wanted a friendship with someone who knew exactly how I was feeling and could understand me. From there, we started chatting and talking, lots of crying- as we still do- but what I gained the most was a new friend that I completely loved to hang out with. We went on dates, we introduced each other to family, we went on Harley rides, and we eventually started to fall in love. Moving forward, it's 12/31/2023, we are on a vacation in Palm Desert, by this time we've spent so much time together traveling, dinners, events you name it. We’re at a fancy place called Sullivans Steakhouse and our friends asked us what the best part about 2023 was. I took a minute, and said probably moving in together. That was a huge step in 2023! I looked over at Gene and asked what his answer might be, and he said well the best part of 2023 would be if you marry me. He pulled a ring out, and of course I said yes! New Years will always be remembered as the day he proposed. Now 2024, time is flying. We know how precious life can be, we have had so much happen in such a short time. Since we have been together, we have been blessed with 3 new grandchildren to go along with our beautiful granddaughter who will be their mentor. Our families have grown closer, and as time passes, our lives have become so much simpler. We are so blessed to have the opportunity to love again, and we continue to look forward to our future.