Finally!

We met through an online dating site for people over 50. The dating site freaked Tom out and he was off it within 24 hrs. Fortunately, Sandy and Tom had touched base in that brief time. If memory serves Tom well, and most of the time it does not, we chatted back and forth for a brief time before deciding to meet in person over dinner @ Stonewood Grill. The restaurant was not busy as we met mid-week and we set our time for after the dinner rush. Tom had not been on a first date in 23 years and was as nervous as a fly at a fly swatter convention and sat outside awaiting Sandy's arrival and tried to appear calm. Sandy swung into the parking lot fashionably late and apologized that it had been tough to leave the office. The evening flew by as we slowly started the walk down the road that would lead us to our coming wedding. We chatted about our jobs, our families, our likes and dislikes. We enjoyed 2 or 3 glasses of wine and a good meal. It was easy conversation for both of us and it seemed like minutes before we were told the restaurant was closing and they were only waiting for us to leave. But, not before we talked about Vicky's battle with breast cancer and Jeff's battle with pancreatic cancer. Difficult as it was to talk about, this is where cancer had brought the us. Though we did not know it at the time, God was taking two horrific tragedies, two broken lives and was going to make us one. We did not see each other again for 3 weeks as life got in the way. When we reconnected we spent weeks and hours upon hours just talking and getting to know each other. Before we knew each other, and for a brief time after we met, Sandy would work late into the night and often not get home until after 9 pm. Tom spent his weekends locked up in his house not wanting to see anyone. Today, our days are filled with wanting only to please each other and love and support our friends and family. We are thrilled to be at this point in our lives and look forward to together forever.

Golf, cook and entertaining are just a few of the many interests we share. We are both just a wee bit competitive. LOL! Who's the better cook, golfer, dinner party organizer? We will let you decide as you know us well. Whomever you decide though the other one of us will likely agree with you. We love spending time with family and friends. Whether that is in Illinois with the Scudders and Mansfields or Alabama with Brett, Ashley, Brianna and Maddox. And soon we will be adding Hollis to this growing family. Hollis is due just a few short days before our wedding. We are so very excited and looking forward to meeting this baby girl who is sure to steal our hearts. Of course, being Lolli and Pops to Maddox is pure joy! Maddox is GO from the time he wakes to the time he just can't go anymore. It's a good thing we are both healthy and getting healthier as we age. Because of our families and friends, we are committed to staying healthy for the long run. We work out for 90 minutes three days per week and eat a healthy diet. We are retired and trying to figure out how we ever found time to work. Seriously, the days seem to fly by! Sandy has a couple of hobbies she is working towards and Tom still has a list of projects to get done around the house. We both continue to work on our golf game. Eventually, overseas travel will be on our itinerary. We had a Mediterranean cruise booked for 2020 but we all know how that ended. We rebooked for just after our wedding but that too looks like it will be canceled. That's okay! We will go see Hollis for the first time and maybe a side trip. Or two! We are so blessed, have a strong faith and look forward to where God will lead us down this journey of life.