“We first met at a pep rally in the fall of our freshman year. Donna was dating a friend of mine and he and her were with me during the pep rally. I remember thinking how cute she was. Super blonde hair in a short bob cut and a cool style I had not seen with other girls. I believe I was a little too boisterous for her. I was fired up, we were playing MoCo. Lol. Donna’s impression of when we met: I first noticed his hair, he had a mullet, and rocked it. However, being the introverted, shy and quiet girl that I was, I was taken back by the extroverted, loud, energetic boy that was sitting with us that day chanting all of the cheers getting everyone excited for the ballgame. I couldn’t quite share the same enthusiasm that he had.

We met after the game at a dance and began talking. About a month later we started “dating”. It lasted like 12 days, likely due to our different personalities at the time. But, we remained cordial even becoming friends. As the year progressed we became really good friends. Mostly talking on the phone because we didn’t have any classes together.  

The summer before our sophomore year we really started having marathon conversations on the phone. Talking about things like music, who do you like, and our upcoming school year.  In September of our sophomore year I got tickets to see Van Halen with two other friends of mine. A couple days before the concert I called our local radio station 100.1 WFMI and was the correct caller for floor tickets to Van Halen.

I wrote a letter that night to give Donna the next day. Asking her if she wanted to go with me. Thankfully she said yes. I ditched my buddies and my ticket with them went unused. Although not officially dating this would be our first date. I still remember it pretty vividly. I really think this was the evening that kinda told us both hey, let’s give this dating thing another shot. On October 4, 1988 we started dating and have been together ever since.

We got married on May 4th, 1996. Our precious daughter was born in March of 2000. It’s been a whirlwind and it’s amazing how quick time has gone. 

As far as tips for sustaining a long happy relationship I have a few ideas. I think the one thing that you have to realize is that times aren’t always perfect. That’s okay because adversity builds resilience. You get through the hard times together and you realize that the other person is there with you lock step taking the journey.

Donna’s advice for a happy marriage: Compromise is key. Understanding and allowing your partner to be their true self. Wayne gets recharged by being in a room full of people and loves to be on the go. Me, not so much. I enjoy my quiet days at home, reading or watching mindless TV shows. Allow for time to recharge as needed but also make the sacrifice to get out of your comfort zone and join them.

The one thing I really cherish is she’s still my best friend! Nearly 36 years after we first met and became friends. We try to do things together we both enjoy. We go camping, kayaking, and biking. We love working on our new house together making it our home. We love live music and traveling to concerts. We are also just as content having a Netflix night just chilling at home in front of a warm fire. That’s us, compromising.”

”We have known each other for as long as we can remember as we grew up across the street from each other. So we don’t really remember first impressions of each other because we were like 4 when we first met. However, we didn’t go to the same school as one another until high school so we were never super close friends. Our freshman year in high school we dated for a couple of months but we broke up due to me punching him in the stomach at a church event and then not speaking to him. I’m not sure why I did that… 

We went our separate ways until junior year when we both happened to be outside at the same time, each with a friend. My friend and I were walking the sidewalks – clearly trying to get their attention – while they followed us around. That sparked our interest in each other again. 

We were supposed to meet up after our winter cotillion dance to hang out as we both went with separate people – but I didn’t get that memo and messed that up royally. My track record with him wasn’t looking too good, however, I convinced him to come over the next night and talk it out and explain the miscommunication. We decided to try this again and I guess as they say, the rest is history.

I knew after 2 months I loved him and was going to marry him – he knew sooner, but I was too scared to tell him that I loved him back for a while so he just told me he “love-liked” me until I was ready. We both went to different colleges but we always made an effort to see each other during the week and would come home on the weekends. There was never any question we would be together and so the effort was easy.

We served at a church together for a while in Lexington – he was the youth minister and I helped. We graduated college and that summer he had schemed for us to go back to our home church – the same church I punched him in all those years ago, the same church we were both baptized in, the same church we would later get married in and dedicate both of our babies in – and he proposed to me on stage at the end of the service. We were supposed to be talking about how God was working through our ministry at our church in Lexington but Robert had other plans so I was definitely taken off guard.

We got married the next summer and then had our son 5 years later and our daughter 2 years after that. We are going on 16 years of being together and 9 years of marriage and he is the easiest yes I have ever said. We always put God first in our household and in our marriage and we always have a safe space to honestly communicate with one another. Life is hardly ever easy, but doing it together is easy because he’s it for me – and always has been.”

“We were 5 years old when we would have playdates at Steve’s house while our parents were playing cards. We would sit on the floor and watch a Winnie The Pooh wind up T.V. for hours. One day when my parents called for me to leave, I kissed Steve on the cheek and told him good-bye. There were so many playdates. A couple of years later, I had a Halloween party. I was allowed to invite my cousins and a friend. Steve was the only friend I invited. He was Batman and I was Donald Duck. On the way to my house for the party, Steve’s cheap little plastic costume he got from the local IGA ripped.  His dad had some silver mining masking tape in his trunk that he used to tape it together.  Steve said he was so embarrassed during the party because he felt like everyone was looking at the silver masking tape, but I didn’t notice.  

We always talked and remained friends throughout elementary and middle school.  I played basketball 24/7 and Steve had his own Karate school where he taught hundreds of students over the years. He gave private lessons, refereed, and judged competitions. He was always the tough guy in school and had quite the reputation for being a bad boy. He was a three-time state champion kickboxer and I always thought that was so attractive. But I still only saw him as a great friend.  

When I was a freshman, we started talking more and spent a lot of time on the phone.  He also started showing up at my basketball games. One time he came to an away game in Matewan, WV, when his team, the Redskins, were on TV in the playoffs! I knew something was up. I thought he must like someone on my team, but never dreamed he was there watching me. I even enrolled in his class but couldn’t be disciplined enough for karate. I would always talk out of turn (imagine that) and would get punished by doing push-ups the entire class.  

On February 14, 1991, he bought me a huge balloon filled with roses, candy and a stuffed bear for Valentine’s Day and asked me to date him. I was taken by surprise because we had known each other so long and hadn’t really thought of each other in that way. I thought about it for a while then eventually said yes.  

Steve had goals that he wouldn’t waiver on. I wanted to go on to college and play basketball and he wanted to go into the United States Marine Corp.  I was a senior when he left for boot camp. Before he left, he asked me to marry him. We were 17 years old, just babies, but I said YES. No way was I going to let him move and I not go with him. When he left for boot camp, it was one of the hardest days of my life. He went to Parris Island/Camp Lejeune for 3 months. I would write him one letter each day, never missing a day for 3 months.  

Once he got out, he could choose where he wanted to be stationed since he finished first in his class. He chose Washington, D.C., so he could go watch the Redskins whenever he wanted. I graduated high school on June 4, 1994 and we were married June 11, 1994 and moved 10 hours away and the rest is history!  We will celebrate our 30th wedding anniversary next year.”

“We started kindergarten together, graduated high school and college together. We went to the same school and college.

We started dating when we were juniors in high school and got married when we were sophomores in college.

We just celebrated our 33rd anniversary a couple months ago.

We have two beautiful daughters, two awesome sons-in-law, and two perfect granddaughters.

We do not take for granted how blessed we have been and continue to be.  We have a great love story.”