25 year love story…buckle up. Mike Dube and I met when we were 18 at a karaoke bar with my friend Lisa Alop Stahlman. Lisa was singing “Paradise By The Dashboard Lights” with Shawn Martin. We dated for a bit and it didn’t work out because I had some unresolved trauma making for some high walls. A few years later, we gave it another go and he was all in and loved me with all he had. I loved him so much but my damaged unhealed brain couldn’t grasp that I deserved any type of happiness because I didn’t feel worthy of goodness. So I left and didn’t look back, I couldn’t. We both moved on and married other people and lived our lives. No contact for 22 years. I had began dating myself and learning to be single in 2023. In February, I saw a post from Mike on FB asking for thoughts and prayers for his ex wife who was having a double mastectomy. I commented and told him that my mom and sister also had that and I would be praying. A few days later, I asked how she was doing and a few days after that I invited him to join me for dinner. I was nervous that maybe he hadn’t forgiven me for breaking his heart 22 years ago. I really wasn’t sure what to expect. Then he showed up looking like a grown up version of the boy I loved. You guys…when I say it felt like coming home please believe me. It was one of conversations of a lifetime. I was able to apologize for how I left him and like the gentleman he is, he said it’s been years, we are good. It has been a whirlwind year and as we approach our wedding date, we still are blown away that we are here and ready. People are going to have opinions and that’s ok but all I need you to know is that I went through years of therapy to heal hurt and once I finally found myself again - a random message from the boy I lost shows up. My instincts are always right and I ignored them for years. Now it’s time to say yes. Yes to life. Yes to happiness. Yes to me being WORTHY of a love I once couldn’t accept. So this long story ends with… Mike, I do. ❤️ It took me 25 years but I do.