Russell and I met in December 2025 at the home of our dear friends, Gary and Shay Duncan. Russell and his sister, Anita, were visiting for his birthday weekend, and after a long day of work and DoorDashing, I stopped by to meet Gary and Shay's guests.

As Russell tells it, the moment he walked through the door, he noticed me sitting with my legs crossed in a pair of leggings. It wasn't my smile or anything else that first caught his attention—it was what he affectionately calls "those hams!" We still laugh about that to this day.

The very next day, on his birthday, Russell invited me to join the group for dinner and made it clear that he wanted me seated right next to him. During dinner, he leaned over and asked, "What time are we going to breakfast in the morning? And maybe do a little Christmas shopping for my great-niece?" In that moment, he quite literally took my breath away.

From that day forward, our connection grew quickly and naturally. Russell often tells me that he had been preparing for me his entire life—that after all those years, he had finally found me. He says that I am "Her" and he is "Him," a sentiment that perfectly captures how we feel about each other.

Like everyone, we've both lived through challenges and learned valuable lessons along the way. Looking back now, we can see that every experience was guiding us toward this moment and toward each other. What once felt like separate journeys became one beautiful path.

Today, we are grateful for the love we share, the laughter we create, and the future we're building together. Our story began with a chance meeting, a birthday dinner, and a conversation about breakfast—but it became the love story we had both been waiting for all along. ❤️