Devon joined CatholicMatch, but wasn't always active because she waited for guys to contact her first ... she changed her mind when she saw Mark's profile. “I always waited for guys to contact me, but something about his face and profile made me want to go out of my comfort zone,” Devon said.
Mark was new to Richmond, Virginia so he decided to join CatholicMatch because he didn't know very many people in his area. When Mark received Devon's message he was skeptical at first. “Her profile was pretty thin, as I recall, but it suggested she was down to earth and had a sense of humor,” Mark remembered. “I found her pictures attractive and I was excited that she reached out to me.”
Actually, if Devon hadn't sent that message, it is likely the two would never have met. Devon lived in Pennsylvania which was six hours away. They stuck to emailing, instant messaging and phone conversations for a while before taking the steps to meet in person. " Because we lived far apart, we first met up in person after about a month of communicating," Mark explained.
Mark drove to Devon's hometown and visited for the weekend. For their first date they went out to an Indian restaurant. “It was bitter cold that night, probably 10 degrees at the most,” Devon said. “He was a lot more shy in person than I expected. All of the other guys I dated were very outgoing, so I wasn't sure he was my type at first."
Devon felt it was important to have fun with the early dating experiences. "Look at it as an opportunity to meet new people. If something more comes of doing that, than great! If not, move on! And trust your gut," she said.
For Mark, the first date felt natural and pleasant. “The vibe was certainly different from our online rapport, but not in a bad way,” he added. Sometimes a person's personality doesn't come through all the way with emails and phone calls. "There are difficulties that come with meeting someone who is remote," Mark said. "Early on in the relationship and during relatively brief encounters, you just don’t have the same chance to get to know the other person—particularly their flaws and weaknesses."
After Mark and Devon got to know each other a bit more in person, they worked out some of the difficulties of meeting online. As things progressed, the two managed a long distance relationship. They saw each other about once a month until Mark moved to D.C. for his career, which made the distance less of a strain on both of them. Soon after that, Mark ended up moving to the Bay Area of California with his uncle.
Devon had to decide if she would make a cross-country move.
Cross-Country Move
“I was in need of a major life change,” Devon said. But her decision wasn't easy. "Other than the normal stresses of a cross country move, it was a huge step for me to move away from all my family, friends and the area I grew up in. It was risky to move on a whim—not knowing whether the relationship would last," she said. "Nevertheless, I had a good feeling about it." She took a crazy chance and moved cross country, living a block away from Mark.
The change from a long-distance relationship to being close to each other was a harder transition than Devon expected.
"It was tough. Mark and I went from seeing each other once a month to every day. Though that was nice in a lot of ways, it also put a lot of pressure on the relationship. I had a hard first year. I missed my family," Devon remembered.
Although the move was challenging, it proved something important to Mark. "He felt that the move was a good test to our relationship and a pretty good indication that we'd be able to withstand hardships together," Devon said. "He was right!"
The two adjusted to their new situation and it got easier after a while. As they settled in and focused on their progressing relationship, the two realized that they were ready for a serious commitment.
A Surprise Proposal
“It was at dusk on the edge of San Francisco Bay in a quaint town called Sausalito,” Mark explained. “In keeping with my personality, it was pretty low key, which Devon never tires of ribbing me about.” It was supposed to be a surprise, but Devon saw how nervous Mark was so she knew it was coming.
Hometown Wedding
They were married at St. Agnes Church in Pennsylvania, a special place for Devon as it was where she received almost all of her sacraments. Six years after meeting through CatholicMatch, they celebrated their fourth wedding anniversary in March of this year, and have two children, Claire, 3, and Declan, who just turned one year old.
“Devon is a devoted mother who has sacrificed a lot of her personal life to give our two kids a great start in life. From pregnancy on, she has consistently put them ahead of her own needs,” said Mark.
“There are no truer words about parenting than the days are long, but the years are short,” Devon said.
For now, the couple plans to slow down and enjoy their family after a busy few years of moving, marriage, and settling down. They love to go hiking and spend time at the beach together as a family.
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