After being single for many years, wondering if I would ever be married again, I found my soulmate and best friend. After meeting on a dating site known as OurTime.com, we were drawn by how our lives and interests were remarkably similar.
On the morning of Mar. 17, I had said a prayer that if I was to be alone, then “so be it.” I was accepting the fact that perhaps I was destined to be single. David had experienced the very same thing just weeks before.
While David was attending mass at the Holy Name Cathedral in Chicago, he prayed and was accepting that maybe God’s plan for him was to remain single. During mass, he turned to his right only to see the actor, Jimmy Smits. Jimmy recognized that there was something on David’s mind and said to David, “Everything will be fine.” After returning home from my church service, I decided to check for messages on the dating site and there was a message from David. I was skeptical at first because I was not seeking anyone long distance. However, upon reading his well-written profile, I thought, “This is the guy for me.” I responded with something short, cute and funny, thinking that I probably would not hear back due to the fact that Las Vegas and Chicago are miles apart. To my surprise, David responded and our love story began.
By the next day we were communicating via phone. Every night we would have lengthy conversations about our past, present and future lives. It was a feeling of excitement, relief and wonderment that we had come together at this point in our lives. We both had asked ourselves, “Is this for real?”
I took a “trip of faith” to Chicago. I wanted to check things out and follow his lead on the events for the long weekend. On my flight there, I was nervous and skeptical all at the same time. Upon arriving, David was waiting for me at the airport terminal just past security. When I saw him, I knew that he was my “husband to be.” As I walked toward David, he thought, “This is my ‘wife to be’.” During the long weekend, David was a gentleman and had a variety of fun activities planned for us including: Lunch on Michigan Avenue, tea at Ralph Lauren’s Polo Club, a White Sox game, an evening with the Chicago Symphony, walks along Lake Michigan and mass at the Holy Name Cathedral. By the close of the weekend before flying to my home in Las Vegas, we were discussing how this would work. We agreed that we were both adults and that “where there is a will, there is a way.”
David made a trip to Las Vegas at the end of April 2013. At the close of this trip, we were engaged and had chosen a wedding date. We decided to get married in Calico Basin – Red Rock Canyon on May 18, 2013, designed with a Western theme. Surrounded by our family and friends, we were blessed with a beautiful day in the serene Spring Mountains of the Nevada Desert in Red Rock Canyon. Vendors from the tradeshow industry helped in coordinating the special day.
We are living life, exploring all that the world has to offer and embracing the moments of each and every day, remaining strong in our faith that brought us together. For once in our lifetime, we have found our “soulmate,” and for that, we are truly grateful! We are a testimonial that dreams can come true!
Currently, the couple resides in both Las Vegas and Chicago. David is the director of global digital media for the Sears Holdings Corporation in Chicago, and Lori is the owner of Event Decorating Services ~ Key Plants & Décor Rentals, based in Las Vegas, servicing the entire U.S. and Canada. Lori can be reached at 702.415.8236 or lorikey@eventsvcs.com.
