Years In The Making!

Our story doesn't start like any other. It doesn't start in school, at church, or even at a friend's birthday party. It all started in a robotics class, of all places. Marlene's dad was the teacher, and Patrick has always had a love for electronics (that has only grown with time). From day one, Marlene thought "Patrick Campanale is the smartest boy in our class” and Patrick thought that Marlene was the prettiest girl he had ever seen.

Because we attended different churches, we weren't able to keep in contact much. Shortly after Marlene started to attend Patrick’s church, he moved away to Tennessee. It was a sad moment to part with a recently reconnected friend. Patrick enjoyed Marlene's company at church events and camp on occasion through the years, even though we didn’t have contact most of the time. Sadly, we only saw each other every year or so for a few days when Patrick's family would go back to Florida to visit.

It was finally time for Patrick to come "home" to Florida. His family moved back and rejoined their old church, and we could finally see each other more often. Though we didn't quite know what our futures would hold, we went to College and Career events together and just liked hanging out. We never dated, and we didn't really hang out alone, but it was nice to see each other more often again.

Shortly after Patrick moved back to Florida, Marlene's family moved to Tennessee. As God would have it, the McCoy's would live off the same road, in a neighboring city, and attend the same church that Patrick did for four years prior to coming back to Florida. Separated again.

Through Patrick's family visiting Tennessee once or twice per year, we would occasionally hang out at Crosspoint (young singles) events with the church. We enjoyed long talks, "heated" debates about Biblical topics (where neither person was really wrong, just wasn't explaining their view properly), and many laughs. In November of 2018, we eventually reconnected for good, and what we would finally know as forever.

Our first date started without us even deciding if it was a date at first. Marlene came down to Florida with her family, and we had planned a fun evening out together without knowing where it would lead. It started where all good first dates should, WingStop. After eating some delicious wings, we went to Top Golf, and eventually ended the day on a romantic Night of Lights boat tour in Saint Augustine. We had both hoped this "not date" would end well, but little did we know how well it would end. We talked about our lives leading up to that point, the constant connection that God had made between us even though we didn't see it along the way, and how much we had meant to each other as friends through the years. We had no idea that the strong friendship we had built would mold into a blossoming love story at the end of 2018. The rest is history.

It was a perfect Sunday morning, and both of our families were in town. "It would be a perfect day to get family pictures" Patrick told Marlene a few days before. "We'll leave church around 12:00 so we make sure to find a good picture spot." We pulled up to Gateway Island shortly after noon. Patrick told Marlene that the tripod and camera equipment would be too heavy to lug around everywhere, so we would have to find a good picture spot and then come back to the car to get the gear. We strolled the beautiful sidewalks, chatting about nothing, walking hand in hand, just enjoying each other’s presence. Eventually we made our way to a beautiful white gazebo in the middle of the island. We stopped under the gazebo. “I love you so much” Patrick said, giving Marlene a gentle hug. He almost had a tear in his eye. “There’s actually another reason that we came out here today.” “Really?” Marlene inquired. Patrick continued, “There’s no one else I’d rather spend the rest of my life with.” **Gets down on one knee, pulling a ring box out of his pocket.** “Will you marry me?” Marlene burst into tears. “YES!!! Is this really happening?!” We cried. We hugged. All while the professional photographer that Patrick had hired all the way from Florida was capturing photos of this special moment. We got some couple’s shots, and then our families arrived shortly after. We were able to share the wonderful news with everyone! Except Marlene’s dad, who was completely in on the plans. Marlene’s mom was terrified the moment that we announced our engagement, because she thought dad didn’t know and would be furious that Patrick didn’t ask for his permission to marry his daughter ;) All that to say, we wouldn’t change a thing about the day. It was beautiful. It was so memorable. And it was the first day of the rest of our lives ❤️

After the proposal, we went to lunch with our families at Cracker Barrel. A few weeks prior to the engagement, Marlene asked Patrick to follow up with an apartment complex we had looked at several months prior, just to get updated pricing, availability, and the like. She had no idea what all would come from that conversation. Patrick knew that Marlene wanted a never-lived-in apartment, on the third floor, with a specific floor plan, in a specific building, in a certain complex...it almost seemed too good to be true. When he was on the phone with them, he relayed that information, and the complex manager replied that they had one unit left that fit all of those qualifications, and it even fit within the budget! "Reserve it for us", Patrick told the complex. Fast forward to June 2nd. Freshly engaged, Patrick and Marlene walked into the leasing office. Patrick had called the day prior and explained everything, setting the stage. They sat down at the desk, and inquired about an apartment in building 6. Patrick told the assistant "We spoke on the phone a few weeks ago about an apartment in building 6...I think 6313?" The assistant looked it up, and said "Someone already signed for it, but hasn't put a deposit down...we can still show it to you though to see if you like the floor plan and building." Marlene reluctantly agreed due to the disappointment that it was already reserved, and off they went. After touring the apartment, Patrick looked at Marlene and said "So, this is the one you want...the layout, floor, and building?" She said yes, which he already knew. Then, Patrick looked at the leasing agent and said, "We're still good for a July 26th move in, right?" Marlene about passed out. She had no idea that he had already signed for the perfect apartment! It was the second-best surprised she received that day, and she now knew where they'd spend the first years of their lives together.

We can't believe this is real life. It's really happening. It's FINALLY happening. And God was at work the entire way. We look forward to the rest of our lives together, enjoying what God has given, going through the good times and the bad, all as best friends in the world. We highly recommend trusting God's story! It's always better than our own. WOOOOHOOO! ❤️