The year 2008 would prove to be full of surprises. I had no idea that upon attending the Clarke County School District’s annual Back to School Bash that I would be the recipient of the Lamar Dodd Excellence in Teaching Award. Nor did I know that walking across the stage would ultimately lead to me finding my soulmate.

One of my high school classmates told me that a teacher in the district was interested in me. After receiving the news, I immediately began using my investigative skills and found out that the young lady taught at the same school my son was attending. During the open house event at Alps Road Elementary School, I used this opportunity to sneak a peak into Ms. Washington’s classroom. All I could think of were the words of Johnny Gill…..”My My My.”

We began dating in 2008. Unfortunately, the relationship did not work out at the time. However, we remained close friends afterwards. Years later, we attempted to give our relationship another try. Once again, the timing was not right. We had both matured, but we were still not quite where we needed to be. Nevertheless, our friendship and love continued to grow.

Throughout the past sixteen years, we have stood the rain like New Edition and finally realized that We Belong Together like Mariah Carey. Jami and I have decided to work together to make the ultimate love story: It’s a J & J Production.

I have often heard the phrase, if you want to make God laugh, tell Him your plans. He has been developing this story since 2008. Like everything else in life, it’s all about His timing; not ours. We are truly excited about spending the rest of our lives together.