Connect How did your love story begin?

In the fall of 1983, a series of unlikely circumstances led Reed's best friend, Jeff, and me to be living under the same roof. I was a 14-year-old freshman, and Reed was a senior football player with the bluest eyes I'd ever seen. Then one evening, Jeff walked through the door with Reed beside him. I'd seen him at school, but suddenly he felt real. We both remember that moment almost identically. It was clear to us both that it mattered.

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

After retiring at 48, Reed walked into my sewing room one day and said, "I think you should open a quilt shop." That simple sentence became our second act. Today we still spend nearly every waking hour side by side, creating from the quilt shop we built in the lower level of our home. I also design quilt patterns and fabric, and teach on YouTube, while Reed films and produces every episode. We're still building the life we imagined together.

What would you do with $20,000?

We've reached a season of life where we'd rather collect experiences than possessions. We'd take some time away from our quilt shop to travel, visit our grown children here and abroad, and make new memories together. We'd simply choose more time, more adventures, and more of each other.