Hello Everyone,

 

 

 

Right off the bat I want to thank you for even just stopping to read this. Your time is precious, and I appreciate that you used some of it here.

 

How to convince you that this cause is worthy of your time and donations, that's a hard thing to do. So, the best I can do is tell you how we started, and how we hope to end. I think that if you know us a bit better, you can understand why this is so important to us.

 

 

 

When Jack and I met, we were both recovering from what we both describe as horrible relationships that didn't pan out. I had been in a long distance relationship for 3 years when my fiancé at the time called me up the day before Christmas and broke up with me, two weeks before our wedding date. Jack had been in a seriously relationship and helping her raise her son, but she wouldn't commit to him, or the relationship either. Needless to say, we had both gotten the short end of the stick badly enough that we were leery of doing anything that serious again.

 

We are one of those rare on-line dating sites stories that actually worked. We met on this free website called plentyoffish.com. He loved my eyes...Well, I'll admit I lusted his big biceps, but fell in love with his smile. Our first date was March 5th of 2009, which was also his Birthday! Most first dates are a little strange and tense, but for us, it was amazing. We're both big on cars, and all we could talk about were the amazing models that had come out that year. I made him a subway sandwich, (It's still his favorite to this day) and we spent the day talking until he had to leave for his party with friends. We walked to his car, and when we got to it I gave him a kiss as a birthday gift. When he turned to get in the car, he saw he had a parking ticket on his window. We still laugh about it because he said it was worth it for the kiss. That still makes me feel special, years later.

 

After about 3 months of on and off dating (we we're still both hurt pretty deep inside), we decided to give it a go, and went exclusively with each other. After a year, we had moved in with each other at my parents house. Not the most romantic I know, but we were together which made us happy, and my family really got to know him too. My dad especially. He feels like he gained another son and the two of them can't keep their heads outside of a car hood to save their life when around each other.

 

We had been with my parents for a few months before we were able to move out into our own place. We had nothing but an old dresser and an air mattress... And we were happy. We furnished our first place together off of craigslist, making our home a sort of chic shabbiness to it. It was wonderful.

 

We have, since then, moved from the West coast to the East coast, and we are both far from our families. My mother and father are in California still, paying off my grandmother’s house and trying to keep it in the family since she died. Jacks mother and father are in Michigan, 18 hour drive away. For us, there won't be help from the family, no one is in a situation to help. It is just him and I, and though we make it work, without help we're both afraid we won't be able to make our dream wedding date.

 

He works repairing air guns and carburetors, and I have never seen him happier at work. I was working for a retail store when I lost my job. I am still trying to find another job but the area where we live isn't the best place in the US to find work, and we all know it is hard all over to find work these days. Since then, only Jack is earning anything and every penny goes for rent and living costs.

 

I was looking around the internet trying to find contests and such I could enter to help us win some money to cover our wedding expenses when I stumbled onto this site. It is a blessing because it gives us the chance to earn some money, and gives us the opportunity to use social media to cover the gap of what we can't afford ourselves. I have shared it on my Facebook and I hope the friends of my friends will help to share it around as well.

 

 

 

I don't want a huge wedding, but I do want something beautiful. I have a dress picking this Saturday with my soon to be sister in law and two friends. I will of course share pictures of the dresses on here for all of you to see. Each dollar you donate will go to help pay for the dress and shoes for our wedding. Once we get past my dress, it will then go and rent Jack's tuxedo. If we can manage to get the full amount... Oh Happy Day! With the fully raised amount, we will be able to get married in Birmingham, AL, at the Japanese gardens in the city park there. We will get married on the bridge over the little pond, and then head out to down town Mobile and have the reception in one of the old buildings and dance the night away.