P.S. I Love you

We met in the summer of 2015 in Juneau, Alaska. Susie was on a Pay it Forward cruise to Alaska, and Paul was living in Alaska at the time. He helped to coordinate volunteer projects for the group. We were involved over many years with the same organization - STLF, had gotten to know a lot of the same people, but had never met each other until that day when the cruise ship pulled into port.

Paul was never expecting to meet anyone like Susie, and surprised himself when he realized he didn't want their meeting to end as acquaintances. As the boat was getting ready to set sail, Paul texted our mutual friend Josh (who Susie just happened to be standing next to) and asked for Susie's number. We chatted consistently for quite awhile, but eventually fell out of touch. If you ask Paul he'll say Susie played hard to get. For two years. On Thanksgiving 2016 Susie sent Paul a text to wish him Happy Thanksgiving (his favorite holiday). This time around Paul wouldn't take no for an answer, and a few months later Susie was on a plane from Chicago to Juneau. Right before Susie flew home Paul asked, "Will You Be My Valentine?" That's when the adventure really began. We spent the next two years flying between Juneau and Chicago, taking road trips to Baraboo and the Yukon, ferries across the Wisconsin river, and the Pacific ocean. We went on adventures together as often as possible, from weekends in Seattle, to visiting family in Minnesota. Paul even flew from Juneau to Orlando (on many flights) to cheer Susie on in a Half Marathon in Disney World. Every time the adventure ended, we were ready for the next one. And every time we parted, it was harder to say goodbye.

After almost two years of falling in love across 2,500 miles, Paul popped the question. After an overnight layover in Seattle, Susie landed in Juneau. Little did she know that Paul had news to share and a question to ask. After getting some coffee and tea, Paul took Susie on a walk on Lena Beach (in January) and asked her to celebrate their weekend together, her recent work promotion, his job offer and acceptance in Chicago (pause for dramatic effect), and got down on one knee in the snow to ask her to marry him.