Our story began with God. I believe everything in my life has gone according to God’s plan. Jim and I were always meant to be and it was always in the making. So our story began a long long time ago. But for the purpose of this wedding website I will begin with 15 years ago. Facebook was a new social media platform and that is where Jim and I were introduced to one another. He and I had mutual friends and he liked a comment I made, messaged me and then friended me. Of course I was married which Jim did not know until I told him so our new found friendship was just that. Over the years we would watch each others lives change and children grow. We always supported one another from afar. We started talking on the phone as his family was preparing for the first family vacation in Virginia Beach. At the time I was living there so I told him about the places to go and even take pictures. What I didn’t realize what was happening was that Jim was becoming my friend. I started sharing all my thoughts and fears and tears and he was one of the people that helped me mourn the loss of my late husband. He was the best listener and was always there for me. His words, his quiet and his voice just filled me with a peace I could not understand. I remember the first night I stayed at Jim’s apartment . I was anxious and excited and within one night of being there he started to create a social calendar of events for he and I to attend together. At that moment I realized he was my forever. Our first Christmas I gave him a map that you put those pins in to all the places you want to go. It was titled the adventures of Jim and Karen. I knew even if we just stayed friends we were never going to leave each others side! The day we get married will be 3 years to the day that we said we loved each other! In the past 3 years we have had so much fun together. I often describe Jim as the girl version of me and I am the guy version of him. We make each other laugh a lot and have rarely made each other cry! We love to bust each other and that certainly has helped us through some stressful times. Our relationship is not 50/50 it’s just give and take and we are so in tune that it comes naturally. Jim and I protect one another’s hearts because when one heart is hurting so is the others. We have learned that a relationship a marriage a family is the only thing that truly matters. We have also learned to live our lives according to US and not to others ideas and ways of doing things. So naturally when I told Jim I wanted a big wedding he agreed! And here we are just a few short months away from making our public promise and then bringing together our chosen friends and family to celebrate our love and commitment, because life is too short to not throw the party, eat the cake and dance like a fool!