And two became one

We met through an online dating site, but by accident. We joined at the same time, but Mike’s account had been hacked by a stranger named Diego, and Diego decided to message me! After a few polite messages back and forth with this person pretending to be Michael, the real Mike finally reached out. He apologized, and explained that he was hacked, and not in fact from Rome, but Oregon. In fact, he hadn’t been searching for a partner in Texas at all, nor I in Oregon. And so the conversation began, with this sweet, kind man who made me laugh.

He jumped at the opportunity to meet meet for the first time in Utah when I was there visiting family. He took me on our first date to eat Pho at a Vietnamese restaurant, which was a first for me! Yummy! Then off on a hike up the mountain we went, where Mike had to hold my hand to help me climb. Looking back, I think he did that on purpose 😊 We stopped at the top by a waterfall where he suggested we take off our shoes to dip our toes in the water. No shoes! Yes, please! He knew the way to my heart! Needless to say, he swept me off my feet. It was a perfect weekend of getting to know each other. We got to visit Mike's friends, eat Japanese food, walk the grounds of the Temple Square, and ride through the canyons in a jeep. We walked through a park, sat on a bench by a pond, soaking up every minute. Mike was smitten, and so was I. But of course I had to play hard to get. And by the end of the weekend we both knew there was something special between us. As we got to know each other better through daily facetime chats, we saw all of the wonderful qualities and attributes in one another, and fell in love.

Mike proposed to me in my kitchen on September 22, 2020. He gently placed a ring on my finger as he knelt on the kitchen floor and asked, "Will you marry me?" Typical me replied, "I'll think about it" and giggled. :-) The ring was designed by him and I together. Here is the meaning behind what we chose. 1. I wanted a solitaire. "ONE" One because he will always be my "one". One because we will strive to be one, trying to always think about each other's feelings, being united in our goals (even though we may have different opinions), supporting each other. One because the other numbers cannot exist without "one". One is the first number. . . it leads the way to the other joys in our life. 2. Mike's job requires him to travel a lot. I chose his birthstone, Pink Tourmaline, for the gem. Even though we will be apart physically, the stone will remind me that he will always be with me. 3. White gold band. It represents our pure love for each other now and in the future. We will strive to be faithful, honest, loving, . . . .all that represents purity. 4. He chose the Tiffany setting. I love it. To me, it represents the greater sparkle that a Tiffany setting gives. And that we will strive to achieve this sparkle throughout our entire marriage. His ring that we chose (and he won't see until our wedding day) is also full of symbolism, which will start a strong foundation for a long, happy and healthy marriage.