According to Jack, as I've come to know and love him, we've known each other since high school. Funny thing is, I don't remember that. But maybe that's how fate works. Maybe we pass by people once or twice in life before the moment is truly right.

The moment for us happened at a place that holds more history than most people would guess. "El Hutcho's" on McKinley Avenue. A bar my parents used to go to, one of those local spots that smells like stories and memory. I was there not really expecting much. I was sitting in a corner at the bar playing one of those game machines of hidden objects, just trying to breathe through the heaviness I was carrying. My dad was sick. Cancer. And I was watching him slip away, knowing what was coming, knowing how my mom would be left alone, and not ready for it.

I wasn't looking for anything that night, I wasn't looking for comfort, not anything, but then came Jack. Somehow familiar. He sat down beside me bought me a drink and we started chatting, it was easy, it wasn't hard, and he listened. We talked, we laughed a little, I cried, a little more than expected and he didn't flinch. He stayed.

What started as a random night out became something bigger. He didn't try to fix everything. He just showed up, over and over, in the small ways that matter most. When my world felt like it was falling apart, he became the quiet presence that helped hold it together. God knows he's been through so much loss with me.

Our story isn't about grand gestures or perfect beginnings. It's about timing. It's about second chances and unexpected reunions. It's about love showing up when you're cracked open and finding someone who sees beauty in the broken places.

We didn't plan for any of it. But now, I can't imagine life any other way.

Registry

Thank you so much ! Your gift was was thoughtful and appreciated. Jack & Jodie Smith

Thank you so much ! Your gift was was thoughtful and appreciated.

Jack & Jodie Smith