Margaret and I first connected through ChristianMingle in early April 2013.  Though we exchanged mail through the site at that time, it took a few weeks to make a better connection.  We spoke by telephone first on April 21st and agreed to meet for lunch in Houston on April 23rd.   Although we were both a little nervous, it was a great first meeting, and I asked Margaret for a second date before our first one was over!

I was a 56 year-old widower with fraternal twin, 7-year-old daughters.  (Prior to that marriage, I had been divorced.)  Margaret is 7 years younger than I am and was divorced and mother to her own soon-to-be 7-year-old daughter who is only 3 months younger than my twins.  All three of our girls were in the second grade at this time.   My wife passed away here in Houston after we moved from New York for her care, and we decided to stay in the area instead of returning back East.

Margaret had already met someone through the site that she liked, but felt won over by me after about a month of dating.  That May, we decided only to date each other.  On Memorial Day, Margaret and her daughter met my twins for the first time, and by the end of June (June 22nd), I was so in love that I asked her to marry me after dining at one of our favorite restaurants. 

I had prearranged with the wait staff to bring her ring box in a wrapped basket, and when I saw them coming, I read her some thoughts I had put together and asked her to marry me — SHE SAID YES!  We arranged with my church Pastor for pre-marriage counselling called Prepare and Enrich, which we were both eager to attend to learn even more about each other as well as review some major items to address as we were blending our families together.

We were married November 23, 2013 at The Fellowship Church in Katy, Texas.  Though cold and rain prevented us from having our wedding outside at the Baptism fountain, we were blessed to have a beautiful wedding inside the church with family and friends.  Fortunately, the weather cleared after the ceremony, and we were able to take a few outdoor pictures.  Our special day continued at Hasta la Pasta in Katy where we had booked a private room, and with our cousin watching the girls, we were able to go for a 4-night honeymoon to Puerto Plata in the Dominican Republic.

We continue to thank and to be blessed by God each day for putting our paths together and for using ChristianMingle as the means to His Blessings!