We went to high school together but never dated each other. Each went down our chosen paths after graduation. Randy went into the Navy, married his high school sweetheart, and returned to his family in Ohio after his service, near where we grew up. He worked in the manufacturing sector until his retirement. I went down a career path in education in Kentucky as a single woman. I never married.

In May 2021, a few months after becoming Facebook friends, I was at the NCAA championship soccer game in Cary, NC. My alma mater, Marshall University, was playing in the finals. Randy was trying to watch from Ohio and saw on Facebook that I was at the game. He messaged me to inquire about the start time, as there was a game delay and ESPN did not share that information. Neither of us made a move before or after that first Messenger interaction.

On July 3, I was on my way home from an event in our hometown and decided to stop at Bob Evans Farm in Rio Grande for a late lunch. Spur of the moment I texted Randy to see if he wanted to pop by the restaurant to catch up, remembering he lived in Rio. He did, albeit a little late and forgetting his wallet. I had to convince him I had no problem buying an old classmate a cup of coffee. He invited me to his house so he could pay me back and to chat for a bit more.

After meeting at Bob Evans, there were a few weeks of getting together when Randy came to my town, under the guise of needing to go to Lowes. I wasn’t sure if we were on a date or not the first few times. But by August, we were on firm footing, and have remained so ever since.