Connect How did your love story begin?

It began when he came to my church one Sunday. His father was 59 when he was BORN and was a retired pastor. Apparently, I sat down right in front of him. Soon after he became good friends with my brother and would come over to my house a lot. I wondered who the cute guy was who came to church with his “grandparents”. Turns out he asked me to go to a basketball game when I was a month away from my 15th birthday. Our high schools were rivals. We’ve been inseparable since! Got engaged at 17!

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

My favorite memory is hard to nail down as there have been so many. Having my 3 children is tops. Probably the moment I realized I lived him so much would be him allowing me to adopt a daughter internationally in 2001. I remember in 2002 being on the plane and thinking I’ve never loved him more. This was before adoption was vogue. Just the way he loved me to allow me to pursue this dream solidified my everlasting love for him.

What would you do with $20,000?

We could so much with this money. We would honestly probably save it for retirement as we are 3.5 years away from that time. I took time off from teaching full time when we were raising teenagers and just subbed. Now, I don’t have enough years in to retire with many benefits. This money would be there as a safety net for us to help sustain us as we desire to continue living in Southern California where the cost of living is so high. It would mean the world to me to be able to help in this way.