We met in July 2020 on a dating app called Bumble; an app where the girl has to send the first message. Our conversation started with "Wow, you look like a really fun wedding date!" Marcus was home visiting his family for 10 days in Ohio prior to leaving for South Korea where he was being stationed in the Air Force. Marlecia had recently graduated from Physical Therapy school and had just moved back home to study for her board exam. Within Marcus's short time home we managed to go on 2 dates within a week full of fun and laughter. We decided to give long distance love a chance. For 13 months, we dated from nearly 7000 miles apart, really getting to know each other well through Facetime and texting. When Marcus returned to the US in August 2021, Marlecia decided to be closer to him in Arizona, where he would be stationed for 6 months for military training. From there, we moved to North Pole, Alaska and continued intermittent long distance, as Marlecia was pursuing Travel Physical Therapy! Marcus proposed after nearly 4 years together in Hawaii on May 20, 2024 during a beautiful sunset on the beach. We are excited for the future together!