Connect How did your love story begin?

It began with a dating app. After a month, I was about to delete the app when I decided I would give it one more chance. That was when I came across Chris's profile. He had a smile that beamed at me. I sent him a message & a short time later, he messaged back. We chatted on Bumble for about 2 hours & decided we would try a phone call. We went to dinner & a movie, & then sat in the parking lot talking for 6 hours. We deleted our dating app profiles that night. We have been together for 6.5 years.

What is your favorite memory you've shared as a couple?

Recently, I surprised Chris with a trip to see his best from high school who he hadn't seen in 13 yrs. Chris is a cancer survivor of Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma. His friend came to see him right after he received a stem cell transplant that saved his life. I conspired with his friend to take him to Colorado to visit both his friend & Rocky Mountain National Park. The visit was fantastic & he was completely surprised. The views of the mountains were spectacular & it snowed!

What would you do with $20,000?

We would take an extended vacation and do a road trip in the U.S. to visit the national parks & camp. We have children in 3 different states, one of which is in the military & one who will graduate college next year & be commissioned as an officer in the military. Some of the money will be used to fly my parents to Tallahassee, FL to see our son graduate in Spring 2026. I am retired military & come from a family of veterans.