Sometimes you had it right the first time...

We are working on new save the dates and will be mailing them out soon! In the mean time, here is some important information: Date: January 18, 2025 Ceremony time: 5 pm Reception: 6 pm New Reception Location: EPCOT!!! We've moved our reception to an IN PARK reception at Epcot. This will include Dinner, Dancing, Fireworks, and maybe even a ride!! You will NOT need a Park Ticket to attend the reception. There will be more details as we move forward! Let me know if you have any questions!

In January 2022 I broke off a year's engagement due to many many red flags and differences that I had ignored or was unable to work through. For the most part I was not happy in the relationship. What made it harder was that the teenager had to move back to NC with Sarah due to my landlord selling my rental. Since I couldn't find a new apartment or house by the end of March I had to move into a motel near my work that accepted pets. By this time Sarah and I had been in contact with each other, especially after her break-up. (Sarah here: this section happened as my "relationship" was ending) Every time she came back to Tennessee for a doctor visit, I took her out to lunch and/or dinner at one of the restaurants she loves. Each time I found myself not wanting her to go, and wanting to embrace and kiss her - especially on her Mother's Day lunch visit. But I did not act on it, thinking that if I did I would mess up our friendship or the time I had with the teenager. In late May, I received a call from Sarah telling me she got heatstroke and was taken to a hospital by an ambulance. She gave me her address and I told her I would be there in a little over 5 hours. During the whole drive to the hospital so much of our relationship, the good and the bad filled my mind. The main question I asked myself "Why am I doing this?" Even though there were many practical answers, the truth was that I was still in love with her, I would do anything for her, and wanted to be there in her time of need. So what do with this insight? Should I not act on my feelings and remain friends or take a chance and confess how I really feel and see if we can start over? Or should I not dare not open the can of worms due to how she was going to be moving to Florida in 2 months? By the time I got to the small hospital I was relieved to see that she was ok. As I drove her home I was debating if I should approach the subject about us - but she beat me to it. I was so shocked that I debated if I should pull over for the moment. I thanked God she opened the subject. I answered her no, we didn't cross the line of no return but we have a lot to talk about. We shocked the teenager as we entered the house holding hands. I agreed to help Sarah to move to Florida in July. Later, I flew out to Florida Labor Day weekend to spend time with them. During that weekend I decided I am not doing long distance relationships again, so I decided to give my job my six week's notice because I decided to move to Florida to be closer to them. October 22, I moved all I could fit in my car to head to Florida. And on December 22, I proposed to Sarah on my birthday like I did 18 years ago.

(Sarah) 2022 started with me in a 2+ year relationship of doom. No that's not true. But 5 mins a day of talking and 1 to 2 hours every two weeks of "quality time" does not a relationship make. We tried. But it was doomed to fail. It was nice to "have" someone or the idea of someone but it wasn't meeting my needs. In February I started a new job - I love it. Contract to hire, great company, great people, fully remote, good money. I would have to move from Charlotte, NC if I wanted to convert to full time so I started looking. At the time the teen was living with her dad in TN. He was in a relationship, but then found he was going to have to move sooner than later so the teen came back to NC with me. As spring sprung, I had to go back to TN to see my doctor a few times, did it as a day trip - 4 hours each way - not a bad drive - beautiful through the mountains, stopping at Biltmore - the half way point. Didn't mind it. I'd meet John to exchange the kiddo or to pick up some of her things, this that and the other. The relationship he was in ended. We started talking more. Easter weekend I invited him out to spend easter with us because why not. Then I ended the relationship that I was in in early May. Throughout that time when ever I was in TN we'd go to lunch or dinner. He took me out for Mother's day. And you know when you're on a date an you wanna kiss someone but you're not sure they feel the same way. Yeah. One thing you should know is that John's eyes change color. They go blue, or hazel or green. We now know that they only turn green with me. So on one of these meals together his eyes were green. So later when we were on the phone I asked him about his eyes...This threw him because he wasn't expecting me to call him out of bring it up. But I am not one to hold back. Fast forward to late May. If you know me you know about BBQ Saturdays - when I would go to Peachland, NC to wait up to 3 hours for BBQ at JonG's - the BEST bbq ever. So this fateful Saturday I did everything wrong. Everything. I didn't get my Coke and biscuit. I didn't bring my UV umbrella or my little fan. And it was a hot one. So there I am, finally in the shade, have waited nearly 3 hours and 6 groups from getting inside to order my bbq for the week. And heat stroke. Long story short I didn't get my bbq. I did ride in an ambulance. I got to the very small local hospital without my car, in a town with no uber, no phone charger and no one in NC to call. With less than 20% left on my phone I called John. John who was 5 hours away. Gave him the address and waited. My phone died. So there I was alone with my thoughts. For 5 hours. And it all got very real very quickly. I spent time thinking and feeling and praying and thinking and feeling and doubting and asking myself if I was okay with whatever the answer would be. If I asked this question, and the answer was “Yes, we’ve gone to far. There is no restarting” would I be ok with that. Could I walk away and be okay or would that break me. The answer was no, it wouldn’t. I’m not unbreakable but I’ve been through hell and back and I’m still here. I would be okay. Eventually. Five hours later he pulled up in front and I’ve not been so happy and so nervous to see someone in a long long time. So we started the hour or so drive back to my house, let the teen know that we were on our way, decided we’d drive out for my car the next day and we drove. Then I asked him. Have we gone too far? Have we crossed the line that we can’t try again. His answer didn’t take long. And he stayed on the road - barely. No we hadn’t. We’d have a lot to discuss but no, we had not gone too far. We spent the next hour holding hands and talking. A lot. He came out for Father’s day weekend, we went for bbq - it was so good. He agreed to help us move to Florida. I flew him down for Labor day weekend. He moved to Florida in October. He asked me on December 22 - 18 years to the day from when he asked the first time.

In marriage not everything is sunshine and roses - any couple who has been married for longer than a year knows this. Our marriage was one thing after another. Rough pregnancy, bed rest, preemie, Hurricane Katrina, evacuating to NH, moving to Utah, moving back to NH, Sarah getting sick, moving to Tennessee, Sarah getting better, getting divorced... Most of our marriage was spent reacting to what was going on. Having been in a long distance relationship, then getting married in under 7 months of knowing each other - you might say we were doomed from the start. We never really had that honeymoon period. Never really had that getting to know you phase, going on dates, etc. All that newlywed stuff. We were very much to blame here, we fell in love fast, got a long great - from a distance - and made a lot of choices that as we got older would look back on and say wow were we dumb. But, your choices good or bad make you who you are. So in 2017 after I (Sarah) had gotten better and was feeling like I could stand on my own, we decided it would be better for us to go our own ways. The house was calm again, kinda. We then had a teenager who was just told their parents were getting a divorce so that was fun. (insert eye roll here). I (Sarah) eventually moved to Charlotte, John stayed in Tennessee, with both had our own serious relationships and I (Sarah) did my best to hate him...

My heart's desire was to marry my best friend, keep that relationship going, and if the worst case ever happens (if I got divorced) we still be friends. I never realize God answers prayers that are detailed. Around May of 2004 I joined a Christian chat site, and that is where I met Sarah. That night we ended up chatting for about 8 hrs. The next day while getting ready for work I checked my email. I received a message from Sarah saying that she enjoyed our chat and would like to talk over the phone instead. She left me her phone number, and left the ball in my court. I waited to call her until that night. Since she didn't have my phone number it was a total surprise that I contacted her that soon - but she was delighted. We talked many hours to get to know each other better without interruption from using a computer. After that night it became a routine, and we grew our relationship. Since we lived over 1,700 miles apart, we got creative on our long distance dates and communications. After 3 months we decided that I would fly out to Utah and stay out there for about 10 days. While I was out there, my love and desire to have her in my life only grew. We decided on keeping our long distance relationship, but planned that I would fly out to New Hampshire to spend Christmas with her and her family. At that point something in my heart moved me to thinking about marriage. I was surprised I was thinking such things but everywhere I turned something made me desire that with Sarah. So in early November she and I started talking about what we were looking for in a spouse. We found out that we both want to move to the next level to get married sooner than later. So we have decided that we would elope after Christmas. Sarah's parents got wind of our plans so they ended up having a small wedding in their home on Dec 26 2004. We had a short honeymoon in Maine, and soon after Sarah moved to New Orleans as my wife.

The first we got married we had known each other for about 6 months. We had spent 12 days together in-person before deciding to get married. Thanksgiving 2004 we decided to get married at Christmas time. December 26, 2004.