We Gettin Married!

Our love story is one that we couldn't have written better if I tried. When we met, we had been living four doors down from one another for over six months and had never once seen eachother. We were both single parents, and always working, with little free time to play and have fun. When we did have down time, it was spent with the kids, or for Monica: at her parents' house a few minutes down the road, for Nate: with his closest friends in town, Danny & Dragana. We had settled into a lifestyle and routine where things were good - stable, relatively peaceful, the kids were good, all our needs were met. We had both spent years figuring out what NOT to do in relationships. After many lessons learned, Monica had been working on restoring her relationship with herself, and leaning into her spirituality. Preparing. Nate was raising his two boys on his own and teaching them how to be a man. Taking responsibility. Monica had decided she would happily die alone in this house her parents bought on S. Sanibel Circle, and Nate had decided if he ever got married (again) it would be for convenience, not love. There was a kid in the neighborhood that Monica saw riding bikes and playing with her kids almost every afternoon - he had long wild hair and unusually deep voice. Tae was the same age as her middle child, Gus, and they were really well matched, so Monica encouraged them to spend time together. The kids hung out for months, and a sweet friendship developed between them. When Gus & Tae started 6th grade, it was time for open house. All the parents brought their kids to Greco to meet the teachers, see their classes, and get ready for the transition to middle school. Monica had just been elected PTSA President (as if she wasn't already busy enough). Nate wasn't even supposed to be there (he hates school), but a last minute cancellation made it so that he was the one to bring Tae to school that night. That night there was a full moon, a torrential Florida downpour, and the start of a new chapter in our lives. Walking down a hallway, Gus & Monica saw a familiar face: it was Tae. The boys dapped eachother up, happy to see one another in this new middle school crowd. Monica was talking with the boys when she looked up into Nate's eyes. We both just kinda looked at one another for what felt like an eternity. Finally, Monica stuck her hand out and with her big confident smile said, "HEY!!!! I'm your neighbor! I'm in the aqua house!" Nate seemed shy, but not really. Later, Nate remembered thinking, I hope she's not just some friendly lady at the school, I hope she's available, I hope she's free. We don't remember all the words exchanged in that moment, but definitely remember when Nate said "we should exchange numbers!" We texted all night. And the next day. Those early days, we were like teenagers all over again: on the phone all the time, leaving the house after dinner to take walks in the neighborhood, sitting together in the park after dark, sneaking into each other's houses after bedtime... After we moved in together, Mom went to check on the old house at S. Sanibel Circle. She noticed something peculiar. All the screens were on the windows - except for the window in Monica's bedroom! It is rare to meet someone one day, and just be together every day after that. Our love is just that: rare. We were a couple from day one, and haven't spent more than a few nights apart since that Open House. This is the type of love that we both prayed for, imagined, wished for, and it came when we least expected it. What we're creating is a real-life testimony to what is possible when two people are aligned. We're so grateful to have found one another, and recognize how precious love is, especially when it comes later in life. Thank you for being present to this miracle! Love, Monica & Nate