Our Love Story

Mark and I believe we were destined to be together and are so grateful to have found each other in this crazy, mixed up world!  A few amazing discoveries have led us to this conclusion.  I spent a few of my teenage years living in Simsbury, Connecticut while Mark is from Palos Verdes, California.  Growing up, he spent most of his childhood with another family, his "second parents," the Westovers.  The Westovers moved to Connecticut later in life and I became best friends with their daughter, Cassandra.  Little did I know that my best friend had grown up with my future husband!

We met at church in April of 2012 at a Family Home Evening activity.  His sister, Esther Rawlings, introduced us and we spoke briefly but wouldn't meet again until several months later.  In August, Mark and I became casual friends when he became a permanent member of the Santa Monica 3rd Ward.  After a few weeks, he asked for my number and called me up the next night to ask me out on our first date!

For our first date, Mark took me to get empanada's, which happens to be my parents' first date.  We went up to order and I couldn't make up my mind which empanadas to get.  They had so many good ones!  Mark asked me which ones I wanted and I named four but settled on my top two. Then when he went to order he picked my other two.  I insisted he pick the ones he wanted but he insisted they all sounded good to him.  In a nutshell, that is how Mark is in every aspect of our relationship...constantly putting my happiness before his own.

While we talked and shared our delicious empanadas, I can remember wanting to know everything about Mark as quickly as possible!  The more he talked, the more he intrigued me and the more I felt like I had known him forever.  I felt a wonderful peace as I sat by his side and knew he must be the one!

I wish I had gone with my gut feelings after that wonderful first date with my sweet Mark but, as usual, I began to get cold feet.  He seemed so serious and intent on being with me and that scared me.  I told him I just wanted to be friends and began to date other guys.

The more dates I went on, the more I realized no one compared.  No one compared to my Mark.  During my dates, I found myself daydreaming of Mark and taking mental notes of funny things I'd recount to him later.  Sometimes, I would try to end the date early in hopes of spending a few precious hours with my best friend.  As time went on, Mark and I spent more and more time together.  Days apart seemed like an eternity and before long, I realized what I had known from the beginning...it was Mark all along.

After dating exclusively for 6 months, Mark asked me to marry him on April 20, 2013.  As he pulled out my princess ring from his pocket, I began to cry and nodded yes through my tears.  Mark and I feel so blessed to have found each other.  On November 23, 2013, we were sealed for time and all eternity in the Los Angeles California Temple.  We are enjoying every minute of our happily ever after...