I met Estefania in 2015. I was living in the tiny town of Page, Arizona. Estefania was living in St George. Page is a very small town in the north Arizonan desert. The geography of Page is surrounded by the beautiful Lake Powell, countless slot canyons for hiking and a whole lot of desert. I was there for a decade. The two closest cities to Page are Flagstaff and St George. Each city is roughly a2 ½ hour drive from Page. I really liked the beauty of the local geography around Page but there was only one McDonalds and one Walmart. That was it. I remember one night I was watching TV, and the show was all about internet dating. I remember thinking, these people are nuts. Two hours later, I was setting up an account on an internet dating site. The site was called Plenty of Fish. I still remember the name of it. I don’t know if that site is still around but yeah… that’s where it all started. Plenty of Fish.

I had no clue what I was doing. I didn’t know what to expect. The only thing I knew was that I needed to use a fake name for my profile. I didn’t send out messages to many people. I did receive a lot of messages from people. It was a very strange thing. I wondered who are all these people were that were messaging me. I remember coming across the profile for Estefania. I sent her a message thinking no way in hell would I get a response back. Needless to say, I got a response from her after a few messages. We ended up meeting in St George after a few months of messaging each other. To say it was scary would be an understatement. Who was I really going to meet up with? Was she going to be alone? Was I getting set up to get jumped and left for dead in the southern Utah desert? The thoughts running through my head ran rampant.

Something in my heart said to just go for it. We decided to meet up in St George one day and hang out for the day. I met numerous members of her family that weekend. We dated for about 3.5 years. We broke up and went our separate ways for around 3 years or so. One day back in 2021 I decided to call Fanny. I called Fanny just to see what was new in her life. There was a part of me that wasn’t even sure if she’d answer the phone. Luckily for me, she answered. Next thing you knew, I was moving to St George to be closer to her.

I moved to St George and things went by so incredibly fast. I was living in St George at the time my mother passed in July, 2022. To say I went into shock when my mom passed away would be the understatement of all times. Fanny was there to help me through that loss. Fanny helped me through so many difficult days which I will never forget.

I try to make 2 trips a year back to Flint since our mother passed. I always go home to check on dad’s place and his office. I always go with one goal. I go to spend time with my dad and do whatever tasks he needs done. I also know I’m going to get to see extended family and close family friends when I’m home in Michigan. My trip in early 2025 was one that led to some serious changes in my life. I got to spend some time with Wade & Brenda McDermaid when I was in Flint. (Wade & Brenda are dear friends of our family. My family knows how important they were to my mother as well.) I caught up with them, and they asked me for all the routine updates. How is life? How is work going? How’s love life? Something happened on that trip. There was a very personal conversation that happened between Wade, Brenda, my dad and myself. My head and my heart suddenly started looking at things a little differently. The next thing I knew, I was shopping for a ring so I could propose to Fanny. Choosing the ring? Not difficult. Giving the ring to Fanny and asking her to marry me? INCREDIBLY DIFFICULT!

We had a medical scare in the family back in September, 2025. Fanny was hospitalized for 5 days. My fears were that she wasn’t going to make it. I was horrified. I sat and watched her in the hospital room on the first night. She would doze off for an hour at a time and then she’d wake up. She’d look and me and start talking to me in Spanish. I don’t speak Spanish. Fanny knows this. This scared the crap out of me. I knew she was in trouble. Luckily for us all, she improved each day. It was this very medical scare when I knew the time to propose was right then. All my fears about losing her confirmed that she was the one.

Fanny’s birthday is November 18th. I knew that was going to be the day to ask if she would marry me. My plan was simple. I invited everyone in her family over to our home to have a simple surprise birthday dinner celebration for Fanny. For those of you who think surprise parties never stay a secret, you’d be correct! The secret plan lasted about 18 hours until Fanny’s mother, Dulce, inadvertently spilled the beans. It worked out perfect though. Everyone made such a big deal about Fanny’s mother ruining the surprise. Everybody thought the surprise party was the main event for her birthday. How little do they know?? They knew very little! Nobody saw it coming. We had a great family dinner followed by birthday cake, the happy birthday song and a bunch of presents. My present was last. I truly don’t think anyone saw what was coming next.

She opened all the presents. I knew the time was now. I handed my phone off to Fanny’s eldest nephew Leandro. I asked him to record Fanny as she opened her present from me. Allow me to tell you this… I learned at that very moment what Fanny and certain members of her family thought of me. Certain people were saying, “Probably a cell phone!” while Fanny herself said, “No it’s probably a watch!” I'd be thrilled to receive a new watch or new phone, but I could tell those remarks were said with sarcasm.

I’ll end my version of “our story” by saying this… I think it’s fair to say that she didn’t expect what was in the box. Did she cry? I’ll show you the video at the wedding. I’m getting married to someone who I know has my back the same way I have hers. Dad, Wade, Brenda: Thank you for waking me up to what was right in front of me. And Mom, you’ll always be with me!

Mike and I met back in 2015 through a website called Plenty of Fish—yes, the platform is still out there, just in case someone else is still looking for their person. He sent me a message, and I decided to reply. What started as a simple conversation turned into months of messages back and forth. Mike had a lot of questions, and somehow, answering them never felt tiring.

After a few months, we decided to meet in Saint George, where I lived. I was nervous. Who was I really going to meet? Would he be the same person from the pictures? As soon as we met, my nerves disappeared. Not only was he exactly who he said he was, but I felt comfortable with him right away. We quickly realized how much we had in common—from not liking chocolate or coffee, to loving action and police TV shows, and absolutely refusing to watch horror movies. We even shared the little things, like our love for peach rings (maybe not every day anymore!). One coincidence: Mike's father, Henry, is from a foreign country. My father, Luis, is also from a foreign county. BUT my favorite coincidence: his mom’s name is Candice (Candy), and my mom’s name is Dulce—also Candy.

From the very first day, we clicked. Mike was funny, kind, and a true gentleman. I invited him home, and that was the beginning of us.

For several years, we shared weekends, holidays, birthdays, and life’s happy and sad moments. There were countless miles on our cars, endless hours of driving, long nights of phone calls, and thousands of text messages. In 2016, Safeway, who started as His service dog , became part of our lives—and not long after, life took us in different directions. We went our separate ways, but even then, I missed so much. And of course, those two missed me as well.

Life continued to change, and during one of the hardest moments of my life—the year I lost my father—Mike called. I answered. From that moment on, he became my strength, just as I have always been his.

In 2021, Mike and Safeway finally moved to Saint George, and we have been together ever since. Like any real love story, we’ve had our ups and downs, and it’s impossible to fit all these years and experiences into a few words. This is just a small part of our story.

The day he proposed to me, I wasn’t expecting it at all. When he gave me the gift, I honestly thought it was a new smartwatch or a phone. I was completely shocked—surprised and speechless. And to say the least, my family was absolutely thrilled. There’s a video from that day, and I don’t look my best in it—but that doesn’t matter. What truly matters is the meaning of that day.

I will be marrying the man who makes me happy, who cares for me deeply, and who I care for just as much. I know he will stand by my side no matter what—and he knows I will do the same for him.

After so many years, here we are, choosing each other and taking the next step: growing old together.

I love you Mike, you are my everything.

Mike y yo nos conocimos en 2015 a través de una página web llamada Plenty of Fish. Para su informacion, la plataforma todavía existe, por si alguien más sigue buscando a su media naranja. Él me envió un mensaje y decidí responderle. Lo que empezó como una simple conversación se convirtió en meses de mensajes de ida y vuelta. Mike tenía muchas preguntas y, por alguna razón, responderlas nunca fue un problema.

Después de unos meses, decidimos conocernos en Saint George, donde yo vivo. Estaba nerviosa. ¿Con quién me iba a encontrar realmente? ¿Sería la misma persona de las fotos? En cuanto nos vimos, mis nervios desaparecieron. No solo era exactamente como decía ser, sino que me sentí cómoda con él de inmediato. Rápidamente nos dimos cuenta de cuántas cosas teníamos en común: desde que no nos gustaba el chocolate ni el café, hasta que nos encantaban las series de acción y policiacas, y que nos negábamos rotundamente a ver películas de terror. Incluso compartíamos pequeños detalles, como nuestra afición por las gomitas de durazno (¡aunque quizás ya no las comemos todos los días!). Una coincidencia: el padre de Mike, Henry, es de un país extranjero. Mi padre, Luis, también es de un país extranjero. PERO mi coincidencia favorita: la madre de Mike se llama Candice (Candy), y mi madre se llama Dulce, que también significa Candy (Caramelo para mucha gente habla hispana).

Desde el primer día, conectamos al instante. Mike era divertido, amable y un verdadero caballero. Lo invité a mi casa, y ese fue el comienzo de nuestra relación.

Durante varios años, compartimos fines de semana, vacaciones, cumpleaños y los momentos felices y tristes de la vida. Recorrimos incontables kilómetros en nuestros coches, pasamos horas interminables conduciendo, largas noches al teléfono y nos enviamos miles de mensajes de texto. En 2016, Safeway, que al principio era su perro de servicio, se convirtió en parte de nuestras vidas, y poco después, la vida nos llevó por caminos diferentes. Nos separamos, pero aun así, los extrañaba muchísimo. Y, por supuesto, ellos dos también me extrañaban a mi.

La vida siguió su curso, y durante uno de los momentos más difíciles de mi vida —el año en que perdí a mi padre— Mike me llamó. Contesté. Desde ese momento, él se convirtió en mi apoyo, tal como yo siempre he sido el suyo.

En 2021, Mike y Safeway finalmente se mudaron a Saint George, y hemos estado juntos desde entonces. Como en cualquier historia de amor verdadera, hemos tenido nuestros altibajos, y es imposible resumir todos estos años y experiencias en unas pocas palabras. Esta es solo una pequeña parte de nuestra historia.

El día que me propuso matrimonio, no me lo esperaba para nada. Cuando me dio el regalo, sinceramente pensé que era un reloj nuevo o un teléfono. Me quedé completamente en shock: sorprendida y sin palabras. Y, por si fuera poco, mi familia estaba encantada. Hay un video de ese día, y no salgo muy bien en él, pero eso no importa. Lo que de verdad importa es el significado de ese día.

Me casaré con el hombre que me hace feliz, que me quiere profundamente y a quien yo quiero con la misma intensidad. Sé que estará a mi lado pase lo que pase, y él sabe que yo haré lo mismo por él.

Después de tantos años, aquí estamos, eligiéndonos el uno al otro y dando el siguiente paso de envejecer juntos.

Te amo, Mike, eres mi todo.