Love Endures

It was the middle of the night and Sean was working the cash register at County Market in Champaign/Urbana, Illinois when Shamika needed to check out. Instead of going to the self check-out, she took her items and her best smile to his register. They chatted and flirted, but it wasn't until a week later when he asked for her number. Though they fell in love quickly, after a few short months they both had to return to their respective undergraduate programs on opposite sides of the country.

After years of staying in touch, the two finally got the chance to date again, albeit long distance. He was in upstate NY and she was in NYC. The months they spent together were wonderful, but it wasn't the right time to commit for the long term.

After a few more years, a chance "Happy New Year's" text reignited conversation which sparked hope. The two decided to give it their all and move across the country together to Colorado.

On Shamika's birthday, Sean's parents were watching from FaceTime as she opened gifts from them. After opening the last gift, Sean went into the office. Shamika thought he was retrieving his gift for her. When he returned, he had a beautiful ring box in his hand and got down on one knee. Shamika gasped and instantly began to cry, pleasantly surprised. His parents teared up and Sean cried too as he asked for her hand in marriage. Finally able to catch her breath, she gave an emphatic yes!

The weather was beautiful as we officiated our own wedding! We are so grateful to Deb, Susan, Kandrea and Colin for celebrating with us and making this day even more special. To see a slideshow from the ceremony, check out this video here: https://youtu.be/OMzKjdwP89Q. For the full ceremony, watch this video: https://youtu.be/MO-S7hsdpTI