On the 4th of July, 2019, as I traveled with friends to our select destination for a sorely needed vacation, the last thing I could have ever expected would have been that I would meet the love of my life – the only one whom I would adore, cherish and share my life with for the remainder of my days here.
It was hot, it was crowded and the snow white sands of Panama City Beach, Florida would have cooked us faster than the sun, had the sea not offered such sweet relief. We had a canopy tent, too, so I guess that might have helped out a bit.
Relaxing just beside us, however, brazenly challenging the sun’s dominion over the day, was a group of three with naught but beach towels and swimsuits to their name. In true fashion, my affable companion flagged down one of these poor souls as they approached the water, and invited the three of them to share our tent and refreshments. They eagerly complied, of course, and thus our story began: that of Kyle & Jamielie.
I was quite accustomed to my friend’s habit of social adventuring, although I generally tended to keep to myself. As such, we would spend some time there before Jamie and I shared our first conversation. She later admitted that my reservation is largely what prompted her curiosity in the first place (fortunately). So, we simply talked. We spoke about our experiences, our aspirations, our beliefs and values. We shared lunch together and maintained conversation, all the way back to the beach, and up until it was time for them to leave. I don’t think either of us noticed, but everyone else certainly did.
And that was that. She left. My friend and I had exchanged numbers with one of the others from the group, as we had considered a get-together with him later on in the week, but I reasonably assumed that this magnificent woman would simply return to her daily life in Tallahassee, and I to my home state of Tennessee. I thought that this day would hold no more than the memory of an unexpectedly engaging conversation with the most beautiful, talented, genuinely kind and inspirational individual that I had ever met. It was already a great day, one I would have remembered forever. But then I received a text.
They had barely left the parking lot. The roommate offered me Jamie’s number and suggested I reach out to her, as it was obvious to all that we got along extremely well. Maybe that was an overstep on his part, but nonetheless I am thankful for it to this day. So, I texted her. We talked non-stop. Two weeks and 500 miles later, we reunited in Tallahassee to share our first date. That’s a story for another day, but I continued taking trips to Tallahassee, and we have been together ever since! We have lived and traveled together all over the US, and at the time of these photos, we’ve been together for almost four years and counting!
Although words could never describe, I am positively enraptured looking ahead to 10, 20, 50 more years shared, in both joy and in sorrow, in both sickness and in health, with this luminous soul. Indeed, I am indebted to both a friend and a stranger for giving me my chance of a lifetime, and I am certain that something akin to fate orchestrated everything.Our grandchildren will one day see these photos, and knowing this I would not have asked anyone other than Tanya to help us preserve these priceless moments for our loved ones, for generations to come! I absolutely could not be any more pleased! Sincerely, thank you!
