Connect How did your love story begin?

As freshmen from rival high schools, we met at a conference band concert. He told his friends, "I'm going to marry that girl." I thought, "Who is this guy with the big nose?" As juniors, we worked together at McDonald's, where Big Mac sauce fights, notes on register tape, and back-to-back proms turned friendship into love. We married three months after graduation, welcomed our first son a year later, then our twins 12½ months after that as our Army journey began in Panama.

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

Forty years, one incredible journey and memory. Together we've raised four amazing sons, welcomed four wonderful daughters-in-law, and been blessed with ten grandchildren. We've traveled across three continents, faced nearly every challenge a young couple could encounter, and discovered that every trial only strengthened our love. Through faith, commitment, and God's grace, we've never stopped choosing each other. No matter where life leads, together we are, and always will be, one.

What would you do with $20,000?

If we won the $20,000, we'd take our entire family on a cruise and renew our wedding vows at sunset, surrounded by our children and grandchildren. It wouldn't just be a celebration of years of marriage, it would be a testimony to the faithfulness of God and the enduring power of love. Sharing that moment with our family and fellow cruise guests would remind everyone that true love, rooted in faith, really can last a lifetime.