Our Love Story

It's a story alright.

Most people don't know our story. Even the people that do know how story don't know the whole story. What is really interesting about this story is that it is not boy meets girl, fall in love...happy ever after. Again...it's a story.

When I look back on everything I really see divine intervention  I'm not a religious guy. I go to church I am not a faithful and true believer....or at least I never was. Looking back I see that we were brought together for a reason. A REASON. We were brought together to save each other...

From my perspective it's hard to tell the story in an abstract way with places and dates. It was more about history, insecurities, needs and a will to win on my part. We didn't have a first date or a pick up line or a first time this or that. It all happened in a weird roundabout way that, looking back, seemed so hard yet now all events fit together like a perfectly assembled piece a machinery.

It all started in 2008. I didn't know Teresa then. As a matter of fact by this time she was divorced and in a long term relationship with a guy named Brent. I had been married for 8 years to Charlene. The details of end of my married are really not important. 2008 is important because this is where is began.

We tried to save a failing marriage but could not. In June of 2010 we finally gave up. I moved and began the process of re-building a life that was shattered.

I never could have imagined then how hard it would be.

By the fall of that year I thought was was getting better. A heart that had been hurting for love for some long was active again and I was, after 10 years with Charlene, learning to live without her.

Indeed I had fallen in love and fallen in love hard. I don't know why I did that but I did. Looking back it was what I thought I needed but it was the wrong. I needed to heal and grow from a broken marriage. I followed my heart and got burned.

My father passed away in and then a couple of weeks later the girl I fell for left me. It was a hard time for me.

I found myself 37 years old, alone, sad and totally broken. My dad had been my rock for so many years. Now he was gone and to add injury to injury I go hurt and I couldn't run or bike.

My son was with his mom for Christmas that year so I found myself alone and miserable over the holiday.

I joined Match.com and tried dating. After my divorce dating was fun and easy. Now it was nightmare. I didn't want to be alone and I didn't want to date around. I really needed someone....

Its funny because I found what I needed as soon as I stopped looking.

I remember going out a couple of times with a real nice lady. Then one day I got a message from her that basically said, thanks but no thanks. It was the straw that broke the camels back. I was done with dating. I needed a break.

Actually I needed a friend. Enter Autumn.

I didn't date Autumn. She because a friend who I could talk to and confide in. She was the person that would help me clear out all the hurt in my heart and learn to move on again. It's funny because I didn't know for a long time but this girl had a plan for me right from the start.

We went out to dinner one night and, as she later recalled to me, all she could think about was how I would be perfect with her best friend Teresa. She just needed a way to get us together....

There were a couple of challenges for this to happen. The biggest challenge of course was that Teresa was with someone else. Autumn knew the truth though. Teresa was desperately unhappy and she needed someone to save her.

There was something Autumn didn't know.

Secretly Teresa had a crush on me. She had this crazy notion that I wouldn't want to be with her. I know..totally nuts.

So a group of us went out together one night and it was very apparent that there were serious sparks there.

Everybody could tell there was some chemistry between us. I was ready to love and be loved again. I needed her and she needed me. Soon after her relationship with the other guy ended and we started hanging out together so see if there was fire behind the sparks.

We decided to drive to Charleston, South Carolina to do a race called the Rugged Maniac. It was her first mud run and we had an absolutely blast. During the 6 hour drive home we really go to know each other panted the seeds for out love story.

A few weeks later we decided to spend a weekend away. I asked her what her favorite place was and she said St. Augustine. Before we headed out of town I made a trip to a store so that I could do something on the trip that she NEVER expected...

17 days into our relationship I got down on one knee next to a bench, next to Castillo de San Marcos, in front of the girl of my dreams and I asked her to marry me.

To this day I make fun of her because it took her about an hour to answer...OK, I'm sure it was like 10 seconds but it seemed like an hour. The shock wore off and she said yes.

The next day on top of the light house we decided the weekend before Thanksgiving, November 19th, 2011 we would marry.

After we got married we decided that we needed to get serious about our lives and our futures. That is we we became distributors for Advocare. Together we have been building a business and a legacy each and every day. TOGETHER is the optimal word...

Until I met Teresa I never imagined that such a beautiful girl would enter my life. She appeared just when I needed her and just when I was about to give up hope. She has helped me to find myself and to grow and become more. I was there for her when she needed me and she has grown and become more as well.

I am so proud of her and I am so proud to be with her.

Our story is about a broken road. Our story is about finding answers to unasked questions. Our story is about becoming more and learning to grow.

With all that we have become I know there is so much more to do. I know that we will grow more and we will become GREATER each and every day. The journey...has just begun.