Our first date was definitely not a fairy tale story, or traditional! And we’ve learned this is a good thing. As the years have gone on, we have realized we are not a traditional couple and thrive on doing things our own way.

Our story begins with a simple Facebook friend request from me, Liz. I thought John was the most handsome guy I had ever seen and couldn’t help but notice his glorious arm tattoo. As a bonus, he already had children so that meant no expectation out of my 24-year-old self to reproduce. Yeah, I know... the romance behind it all is already shining through.

After a few snide comments on random posts of John’s, I finally slid into his DM’s asking when he was going to take me out to lunch?! (Always been a woman to know and get what I want)

Fast forward, John shows up to my apartment in his black challenger and a flannel button up. I wasn’t ready, of course! So, he comes inside and waits like a perfect gentleman as he gets jumped by two very large dogs. Who now adore and accept John into their pack.

Finally, we were off to Beau’s on the River in Cuyahoga Falls. Classy joint, in the Sheraton hotel. We had lunch and it was terrible. But wow, the company was so damn sweet.

Our date did not end with lunch though. We proceeded to walk downtown where John got himself a nice ice cream cone and I helped myself to an iced coffee. We continued down to the river to walk along the edge and take in the views. Down by the river, we experienced our first kiss. John went in for it, shocking me until I embraced him back. We finished our stroll down the river and went back to our cars. We both had to be at work that evening, so we parted ways.

I knew that day, he would be the man I married. John took a little time, and anyone who knows him knows he works at his own pace.