Our Story
“I can help you break in that glove if you want.” The sentence that pretty much started it all. Raquael had just joined a rec softball league with some fellow graduate students (i.e., The Crows, a story for another time) and bought a new glove. Jay had broken in many a glove, with Kaylin having played softball since she was 5. “If you want to bring it over, I can oil it up and bake it for ya. It’ll just take a couple of hours,” Jay elaborated.
“Sounds good! I’ll bring the glove and a deck of cards over,” Raquael replied. Raq loved a good game of Rummy, and little did Raq know that back in the day Jay was an avid Spades player.
The next evening, Raquael walked over to Jay’s little blue house, with a glove and cards in hand. A 3-hour Rummy game during a record-breaking rainstorm led to an Arnold Palmer order at Chick-Fil-A, two dogs, and a cross-country move to Los Angeles, where our love story continues to unfold . We are grateful for every twist and turn that led us to this moment, and we are so excited to embark on this next chapter of our love story.
Why Jay loves Raq
When getting to know Raquael, her sense of adventure and warm affection lead to my instant attraction. Her intelligence amazed me, and I tried my best to follow along when she talked about her research, sometimes nodding confidently when I was completely lost. Just being in her presence was plenty good for me. One of my fond early memories was spending an afternoon riding ATVs around country hills and using her fancy camera to take eerie photos of an abandoned swimming pool building frozen in time. I also loved going to her little yellow house two blocks away during the frigid South Bend winters to cuddle up next to the crackling fireplace and talk the night away.
She quickly became my kindred spirit and then my soul mate. Eventually leaving my hometown of 39 years was a leap of faith, and I’m fortunate to have Raquael as my partner on this incredible LA adventure and the others that lie ahead.
Why Raq Loves Jay
I was first drawn to Jay's kind smile and strong arms. As I got to know him better, I discovered that Jay’s kindness went far beyond his smile. Some of my favorite memories from our early dating days include: Jay always offering to pick up Bubba to hang out with us after a date; him coming to my rescue in the Notre Dame Grad Student parking lot with a gas can when my car, Betty, ran out of fuel; and, him volunteering to drive us to Cleveland for Thanksgiving to visit my family when Betty was in the shop.
Our Thanksgiving trips to Cleveland became one of our cherished traditions during my graduate school years, and now in Los Angeles, we are making new traditions. Jay continues to be my rock during tough times, and he always provides me with a safe, kind, and loving space to be myself.