ROBIN | Joe and I got back in touch over a mutual desire to live in Denver, Colorado.
It started with a Facebook message from Joe about my desire to move to Denver, Colorado. We had a mutual friend tip Joe off to my desire to move out. Things turned to long Facebook notes, then long emails. It eventually turned into a book of writings. After 5 weeks that mutual friend that put us back in touch invited us to a beach house vacation. Our connection was instant and just the beginning of a long distance relationship.
JOE | Travel is nothing when you are going to be with you woman you are falling in love with. Long distance helps your communication.
Over 9 months I traveled for a 4-5 weekend every 3 weeks. Most often this was to South Carolina to be with Robin and Robin’s family. We also traveled to Colorado, Ohio, Michigan, Tennessee, Illinois, Delaware, North Carolina, and Georgia. I crafted all our writings into a book format and privately published it. There were 5 chapters starting with Chapter 1: Communication Initiated and ended in Chapter 5: Engagement Requested. The dedication “you are writing far more into my life than this book can contain” holds true to this day.
ROBIN | MARRY ME + a ring = Engagement
We went on a hike in the mountains. We had gone to the place before. It was a cold day. When we made to to the spot with the view we stopped and took some pictures. I came to find out on our wedding day that the last picture was actually a video. It was at that place Joe gave me the book. At the end of the engagement chapter Joe wrote in all caps ‘I LOVE YOU. MARRY ME.” The 400 page book had a cut out for the ring in the back. I should have given Joe an outright YES but instead I just kissed him – for a long time as seen in the video! I guess he finally figured out that meant YES. =) We were ready to get married, lived in different states, and were a little older than most so we didn’t wait too long to get married. Three months later we were happily married in Greenville, SC at the Upcountry History Museum.
JOE | We got married next to pigs!
The pigs were plaster and decorated in a top hat and veil. It was all a part of the history museum that documented the history of the upstate of SC. It was a wedding ‘in the round’ were 60 guests were on the floor and another 60 on the second floor wrap around balcony. It had dual staircases wrapped around us, brick arches, and theatrical lighting. It was gorgeous and a beautiful start to our married life! It was a Monday, less traditional, in a unique place, and tons of fun! We kept is fun, simple, and more about celebrating with people.
