We met on November 21, 2019. Sharon had recently moved to Nashville after living much of her life in NYC, and the previous four years in Hong Kong. She needed a lifestyle change and the stars pointed her to Tennessee. Heath moved to Nashville from Louisiana in 2006 to further pursue his music career. On paper, we couldn't be much more opposite.

On this particular evening, we both happened to grab a drink in the warmth of a quiet neighborhood restaurant, Silo. We were seated next to each other at the bar and when Heath ordered his favorite Old Fashioned, he decided to order two. The conversation began and carried on late into the night, punctuated with lots of Jerry Lee Lewis videos on YouTube. We each went our separate ways that night, but agreed we should meet again sometime.

Sometime was the next day. We canceled the dates we had with other people, and we went out on our first date. Both being divorced, we had been down some bumpy roads, and we didn't want to make the same mistakes again. We agreed to take things slowly with no expectations, but…

Life had different plans for us. On March 3, 2020, we survived an EF3 tornado that ripped through Sharon’s neighborhood and other parts of Nashville and Tennessee. After a late dinner at Silo, we were in Sharon’s top-floor apartment when the sirens started, which gave us just enough time to sprint to the concrete stairwell for shelter. We watched the tornado through the window above us and listened to the “train” as it swirled around the building. When it was over, we really weren't sure what we would walk out to. Thankfully, her building had minimal damage, but the one next door was leveled. Silo was destroyed.

With no power and debris across her neighborhood that would take the city days, even weeks, to fix, Sharon had to find a place to go to but she had no family in Tennessee. Luckily, Heath’s place was undamaged. Knowing she had nowhere to go, he opened his doors to Sharon.

A couple weeks later, COVID-19 shut the world down.

Like a lot of people, Sharon eventually lost her job and come June 2020, she had to either renew or end the lease to her expensive apartment. We had the first of what became many meaningful, serious talks about life. We decided the best thing for both of us was for Sharon to move into Heath’s leased house. We would navigate this crazy spot in time together!

The transition definitely had its bumps in the road and it sped-up our relationship, but it enabled us to really get to know one another. We never planned to move so quickly, but 2020 was equivalent to a decade for most of us. In June 2021, we jumped at the opportunity to buy the house that Heath was renting. We knew that we were in it for the distance.

Sometimes we are opposites, and sometimes we are similar and share common ground. We both love the beach and being on the water, and we love spending time on our boat at Percy Priest Lake. Heath learned that he really likes Korean food, and Sharon learned that she really likes dirt sprint car racing. We travel to tracks all over the country and everyone knows her! She’s also a top-notch mud scraper. And many Fridays, you can find us - Sharon singing karaoke and Heath enjoying his BLT - at our local American Legion, Post 88, where our wedding celebration will be. From the day we met, to our home purchase, to our engagement, and even now for our wedding day, we haven't taken the most orthodox approach to the milestones of life. It works for us though, and we wouldn't have it any other way!

Photos