He had recently joined Match.com and I, frustrated with seeing the same men over and over, was considering ending my membership early and giving up on the idea of finding someone. He read my profile and contacted me within 24 hours of joining Match. He didn't have any pictures on his profile yet, and I was so disenchanted with the online dating process that when he asked if he could take me out to dinner, my response was "Do you have any pictures?" Luckily my bluntness didn't deter him.

We have both cultivated new interests because of each other, but I would say the best memories have been made through beekeeping. When we first met he was starting his first hive. I was afraid of bees, but I learned as much as I could about beekeeping to impress him. Eleven years later, we have 35 hives and are planning to expand further. My fear of bees is (almost) gone. Our love and respect for each other has only increased through time spent working in our apiary.

With $20,000 we would most likely use it to expand and make improvements to our honey business. Not only have we learned about beekeeping, we have learned a lot about each other as well. Communication is key to the survival of a honeybee colony, and by working the bees together we have learned how to communicate with each other. Spending time together in this manner allows us to continue learning not only about bees but about ourselves and how we work best as a couple.