As you know, this month marks a new beginning for me. I closed the chapter on the organization I had been with for the last eight years, and decided to freelance full-time. Since I am starting a new chapter, I thought it would be appropriate to go back to where it all started — the beginning of the beginning! Here is our love story. You'll read about how we first met, and the little things that connected the dots and brought us together. If you haven't found love yet, don't give up. God has a plan for you. And if Mr. Right (or Mrs. Right) isn't out there yet, God just isn't finished yet. But for us, this is how it all began... The "Connecting" Flight "Run, girl! Run!" I could barely get those three words out as my little sister and I were sprinting through Cleveland airport one evening — late, as usual. We were headed back to DC — I was living in an apartment at the time, and my little sister was living the good life down at George Washington University. When I tell you we were flying through that airport, and we literally heard our names over the loud speaker, I kid you not! We finally made it to the gate, just in the nick of time. I had to stop to take a quick sigh of relief (I can' tell you how many flights and exits I've missed fooling around with this Chica), only to walk onto what seemed to be a FULL FLIGHT! I looked at the flight attendant and literally said, "Are you serious?!" Despite my attitude at the time, she was really sweet and kind enough to tell me there were still two seats left on the plane, one for the both of us. I found one middle seat on the front row that had my little sister's name on it. To my dismay, the only other seat on the plane was literally in the second-to-last row, also a middle seat. When I finally made the journey way to the back of the plane, I was greeted by a nice gentleman named Jason. He stepped out into the aisle to let me in, and on the left side of me was another gentleman whose name I wouldn't learn for quite a while — we can just call him "Fella" for the sake of the story! When I finally sat down in my seat, I thought maybe I'd take a nap. But Jason sparked up a little conversation with me, and we ended up chatting most of the flight. I learned about Jason's career as an attorney, his five children, his fun-loving wife, and even how much he loved the Dallas Cowboys. Before I knew it, the pilot was announcing the final descent — we were just a short time from landing at the Baltimore-Washington airport. I sat between the two gentleman, and had no idea they knew one another until the plane was near landing. Like I just said, we were only minutes from landing at the airport when suddenly, Jason leaned forward and pointed to the gentleman on my left. As it turned out, he had forgotten to mention, during the entire length of the flight, that they were law partners and were on their way back from a conference in Las Vegas!! The flight my sister and I got on was their connecting flight, hence why there were very few seats to begin with. Anyway, I sat between the two gentleman, and had no idea they knew one another until the plane was near landing. Just before the flight landed, "Fella" finally introduced himself as Gary. He commented on my interest in going to law school (which Jason and I had previously discussed), so he gave me his business card (which is how I learned his name was really Franklyn), and that's how the flight ended! Gary had on a Washington baseball cap the entire flight, so I could barely even see what he looked like! But I took his business card, stuck it in my planner, and off the flight we went. I immediately told my sister about this mysterious guy named Gary I had just met before our flight landed. She was dying to find out what he looked like, when he literally walked up right next to us to grab his suitcase from the luggage claim. We all said goodbye to one another, he walked out of the airport, and I wouldn't hear from him for months. The Business Card Fast forward about two months — I was running out the door one morning when I grabbed my planner, and out flew a little piece of paper. Some of y'all know I have OCD, so I picked up that little piece of paper, and when I held it in front of me, I read Gary's name. It was his business card! I immediately sent Gary an email, and within a short time, he responded! We emailed back and forth for a week or so, and when we finally met up in front of my apartment building, we just knew it was meant to be. A few weeks later (for our second date), we were headed downtown. I decided to leave my car at Gary's place and ride with him, and when I pulled up to the house, I realized it was on my route to campus and on my route to work! I was shocked when I realized in that moment that I had passed his house, many times a day, for the last several years. If this wasn't fate, I didn't know what was. It turns out that flight wasn't just Gary's connecting flight, but it was our connecting flight. That flight was the "meet-cute" that brought us together! And the rest is history. Just like the old folks say, "Don't go looking for love. It will find you when you least expect it." In the chaos of the world, every day may not be lovely, but there is definitely love in each day. Three houses and three kids later, I could not imagine doing life without my best friend for the last twelve years. In the chaos of the world, every day may not be lovely, but there is definitely love in each day. I like to joke and tell others that love is often hard to find - I had to go 30,000 feet in the sky to find it! But little did I know, love was just around the corner, and I was passing by it every day. The greatest thing you will ever learn is to love and be loved in return. Love does not cost a thing, but it sure is priceless. Here's to love and new beginnings!
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