Connect How did your love story begin?

Our love story began with a dog crate. After buying a puppy, I searched Facebook Marketplace, and somehow that led me to Facebook Dating, where we matched between Shelby, NC, and Greenville, SC. I was rebuilding my life with my four kids after escaping domestic violence. He drove to see us every day for a year, loved us through every obstacle, and proved that sometimes the greatest love finds you when you’re simply looking for a place to call home.

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

Our favorite memory isn’t one big moment—it’s the hundreds of ordinary ones that built our life together. Watching him become a father to my four boys, cheering through milestones, bedtime routines, road trips, and quiet nights after hard days showed me what unconditional love looks like. Every challenge we overcame together became another reason to believe we’d found the family we were always meant to be.

What would you do with $20,000?

We’d use the $20,000 to build the future we’ve fought so hard for. It would help us create stability for our family of six by paying down debt, taking our boys on a memorable vacation, and investing in our education and future careers. After overcoming so many obstacles together, this gift wouldn’t just change our finances—it would give our family the opportunity to breathe, dream bigger, and keep building the life we’ve worked so hard to create.