Eliza is a widow, having lost her husband suddenly and leaving her with 3 children to raise. She is a special needs teacher and the mother of a special needs child. Eliza is lucky to have some great friends and her eldest son, who took on the job of "man of the house". But, something was missing. She joined Match.com and went on some dates- no match. Then, she decided to try one more time and SHE HAD A WINNER! Eliza told me that she knew right away. She said she kept thinking he was "too good to be true", but deep down she knew he was THE ONE!
Troy, a divorced dad of 3, ( yes, we have a Brady Bunch here), was blindsided after 19 years of marriage. A former policeman and now football coach, he could have been gun shy. But, he joined Match and also went on some not so great dates before meeting Eliza. Troy told me, very enthusiastically, that had an immediate connection to Eliza, but couldn't tell if she liked him. But, Eliza was not going to let this guy get away, so she found a way to let him know she felt the same and just touched his hand while they were waiting to enter the comedy club on their first date.
Troy knew he wanted to marry Eliza and join their families forever. He decided to do it the right way and ask for her children's blessing. He even bought her daughter a ring when he asked her if she would like him to be her "dad". Such a touching gesture! Then, at Thanksgiving, he and Eliza's brother in law ( her husband's brother) went out for ice and he asked if it was ok with the family if he asked Eliza to marry him. Of course, everyone was thrilled that Troy and Eliza have found each other and everyone is happy for this proposal to happen.
Troy entered a contest
so that he could propose to Eliza in a very special way. With the
help of a team of amazing people, Troy gave Eliza the moment of a
lifetime and a surprise that she will remember always. Troy told Eliza
that they had been chosen for a documentary on successful couples who met on line. Eliza, who has been documenting their love story with a Polaroid camera and journals, was happy to participate, in yet another documentary, about how they became a couple. She had no idea what was really going on. 
After spending the day talking about their time together, they separated and Troy went home to prepare for the surprise. The house was donned with lights and all the kids, plus Eliza's family from Maine, were n the house awaiting the celebration. Troy told me that he was so nervous! He said he didn't have a speech prepared and really didn't know what he was going to say. He told me he could "feel his heart beating" and he just couldn't wait for her to come around to the backyard.
When Eliza arrived, she was so focused on Troy that she didn't see all the lights or the sign that said "Will You Marry Me?" Her realization is priceless!! And, after Troy got down on one knee and popped the question, the entire family came running from the house to offer hugs and congratulations. I have to tell you- Eliza had her camera with her all day!!!! So, she has the pictures of all of this for her "Polaroid Scrapbook"!!!! And, she has this wonderful video documenting their romance and the beginning of their Happily Ever After!
Troy and Eliza plan to marry in November on the beach in Treasure Island, at Sunset Beach House, with their children around them and their family and friends to share their love. Eliza's eldest son will give her away and the focus of their ceremony will be the blending, forever, of their families. Troy and Eliza are so excited to share this day with the people they hold dear. And, as if you are not already convinced that this match was made in heaven, their mothers have the exact same birthday- yes, they were born on the same day, same year. And, when they went to the web site for the venue they liked, the music played at Eliza's husband's funeral was part of a video on the site- an obscure song that no one would have known to use. When Eliza heard this, she knew that her husband had given his blessing from heaven too! I asked them if they were going to do anything symbolic at their wedding. They are going to do a sort of sand ceremony, taking sand from under their feet and having the children do the same, placing it in a jar to be placed in a prominent place in their home.
Eliza and Troy have a very deep faith. Their love and dedication to each other and to their kids just oozes out of them with every word and action. Their love will get them through whatever life brings and I am blessed to have had the opportunity to share this little piece of their life with them. Thank you, Troy and Eliza, for letting me into your lives and your hearts. And, for giving me the chance to share your beautiful story with my readers. God bless you and may you have many wonderful years together and share many more Polaroid moments for that book!!!
Here is a link to an interview that Troy and Eliza did on local TV about this experience. I know that when you listen to them, you will fall in love with them just like I did!
Thank you, too, to Match.com, for contacting me with this story and to Karen and Eva for setting up the interview.
I would love to be helping this bride with her wedding!!! She is an inspiration and a darling!!
No comments:
Post a Comment