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FOUR SEASONS BREEZE | FEBRUARY 2025 13 Our love story is for all those people out there who have had the loves of their lives for decades and now find themselves both widowed and wondering about what's next. My name is Anita, a Four Seasons resident since 2015, I reluctantly tried dating websites. After three lackluster dates, I decided to give up and meet someone the normal/old fashioned way. Unbeknownst to me, Shannon, a widower in San Diego, felt the same way after several underwhelming dates as well. But as luck would have it, we gave the dating website one more chance and opened the dating site at the same time and on the same day. That's when we saw each other's picture for the first time. We immediately began texting each other and found we had so much in common. Because we were two hours apart, we sadly realized it was not going to be easy to date. So, we decided to wish each other well and not pursue a relationship because of the distance. About two minutes later, I thought I just had to meet him regardless of the distance between us. I quickly googled a halfway point for our meet and greet. I texted Shannon and we decided to meet for lunch at Pala Casino near Temecula. Shannon was thrilled that I texted back because, as he put it, "I didn't want her to be the 'what if ' in my life?" So we met at Pala Casino, had lunch, and talked for hours. It was pretty much love at first sight. We began dating on weekends and Shannon met my friends here at Four Seasons and joined in on many activities. Nineteen days after our first meeting, Shannon proposed marriage and said, "When you know the perfect one for you, you know!" Wedding bells rang at our local Beaumont Presbyterian Church just nine months after our first meeting. We now enjoy traveling and especially love cruising. In a year and a half of marriage, we have already gone on four cruises and are planning many more fun adventures. So far, we have gone to Mexico, up and down the California coast, Bahamas, Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico, and soon Myrtle Beach in South Carolina. We are excited about our fifth cruise this summer to Aruba. We always had a belief that the Good Lord would eventually put the perfect person in our paths according to His perfect timing. Now we are enjoying our new life here at Four Seasons and are always seen smiling and holding hands; we are grateful and happy for our new chance at love again. ~ Submitted by Anita and Shannon Jerrain I met Laurie in the Bereavement group, which I joined after the loss of my wife. Laurie had amazing leadership talents and compassion for those struggling with the loss of a loved one, and she helped me immensely, as I'm sure she did to others in the group. About the time I was ready to leave the group, I asked her if she would be interested in having dinner with me, and although she said she wasn't dating, she agreed to have dinner at Panera's. On December 2018, she was going to a New Year's Eve party with her friend and her friend's husband, and she invited me to attend with her. We had a great time, and so we decided to go many places (of her liking) together in the following months, such as the museums in Los Angeles and the opera in Palm Springs. I learned quickly of her love of nature, both the beautiful flowers and all the animals. One of the places we both liked to go to was Oak Glen, and the walking trails there. We went many times, and she so enjoyed being out in the beauty of nature. We married in March 2020, just before the county offices closed down. Although our time together was cut short in 2022, I would not change a thing and I will always cherish the memories. ~ Submitted by Mel Zeldin Cherished Memories Blessed & Lucky in Love