Mark and I had been chatting on Match for a little while. He seemed interesting. I liked that he was articulate and that he loved the arts and music. But when he asked me out, I froze and turned him down. That night, I was telling my Podcast Club girlfriends about it, when my friend Beth exclaimed, “You turned him down?! Are you kidding me?! So… he’s an engineer, and he loves OPERA and he lives right here in Cincinnati…”. She looked at me with exasperation. “Girl, you need to text him right back and set up a date for coffee!” And so I did. :) It was unusual dating during Covid. We spent a lot of time going for walks at all the beautiful parks in Cincinnati. We walked a lot and we talked a lot. We found that we both loved nerdy things like Shakespeare and poetry, museums and good bourbon. And when Mark told me he had flown to Japan earlier that year - just because he was curious about it - my heart leapt. “Swoon,” I wrote to my girlfriends, Elise and Miriam, “he loves to travel!” I learned that Mark is curious about lots of things, that he likes to read, and he likes the sound of trees blowing in the wind just like I do. More than anything though, what we both love the most is our kids. Both of us count being parents as one of the most important roles in life. Mark is a dedicated father, and when I saw how he cared for his kids, my interest moved from casual and fun, to… hey, we might really have something here! As Covid restrictions lifted, we began to travel together. We went to Chicago and visited Jacob and Lucy. We went down to the Shaker Village and visited with Mark’s mom and Aunt Sharon. And then we went to Alaska. It was amazing!! Truly the trip of a lifetime, and it was where Mark told me he wanted to marry me for the first time. We hadn’t even been dating a year! Friends, I did not even answer him. I needed a LOT more time and he was very patient. We traveled to Santa Fe, to New York City, to Kansas City to visit with my parents, my brother Matt’s family and my sister Katie’s family in from Seattle. We traveled to Italy and swam in the Mediterranean. We road-tripped down through Memphis, TN, sampled Single Barrel Bourbon at Four Roses Distillery (my favorite!) and took a boat through the Lost River Cave in Kentucky. Then last May, Mark took me to beautiful Savannah, GA. After nearly two years of talking and walking and traveling and sharing our hearts, Mark asked me to marry him - for real this time. Down on one knee and the whole thing, it was lovely. You know, finding love in your 50s is weird. It’s different to date when you’re already a full grown human with a mortgage and a retirement plan. It can be complicated, and it takes real courage to open your heart and trust that God‘s plan for you is not finished yet. Life may be short, but you have to trust that there is still so much goodness left. Falling in love with Mark has taught me to live into that goodness with my whole heart. (Mark adds, “Everything she said.” Haha. He continues, “I have learned a lot from Gwen and we will continue to grow, learn and love as we live our lives together.”) This is our story. It’s us and our kids, our families and dear friends, it’s work and play and all the messy stuff that makes a life. It’s not perfect, but it sure is good. And YOU are a part of that goodness. Thank you for sharing this special day with us! ❤️