Dennis and I had barely said more than hello to each other in high school - and fell in love thirty-five years later! We connected in cyberspace, on a reunion website, and our first face-to-face date was in Reno. I flew there from Georgia, and he flew in from California.

Right away, I knew he was the one. The first kiss sealed the deal, but talking to him on the phone and his email messages had me hooked from the beginning. It didn't take long before he turned to me and said, "Will you marry me?" My answer was: "Forever!"

We explained the quick courtship to our families by pointing out that we'd known each other since seventh grade, and had to find out the hard way that we were meant to be together. That meant divorces for both of us prior to our marriage.

It wasn't long before we were planning a Maui wedding. I spent hours on the internet doing research. I'll never forget the morning of the big day. I was so happy. I felt like I'd finally received the answer to my prayers. I had found my soulmate, someone I could be myself with. And he adored me as much as I adored him!

We wanted a unique experience, so we created our own ceremony. To start, we gave kukui nut leis and kisses to our loved ones and thanked them for attending. Walking barefoot down the aisle, with the ocean before us, I felt incredibly peaceful, yet I was bursting with joy at the same time!

Both our fathers are deceased, and we so much wished that they could have been there. Dennis and I exchanged flower leis in honor of our dads. The next day, we walked into the ocean and tossed the petals on the waves.

After the ceremony, we treated everyone to a beautiful luau. The scenery was something out of a movie. The breeze was warm and slight. The colors of the sky were brilliant, turning a glowing peach and yellow as we held each other, and he sang the Hawaiian Wedding Song in my ear.