Captivating Couples 2015
Phoenix, AZ
Gwen, 43, dental hygienist
Ronda, 47, corporate travel agent
"Seriously, our biggest challenge has been our timing," say Gwen and Ronda. "We have always known that we were meant for each other, but circumstances seemed to always keep us from having a relationship." They first met 17 years ago in Alaska, but were both with other people. Then they had a period when they were free, but didn´t want to mess up their friendship. "As the years went by, one of us was ready to commit and the other wasn´t, and it went back and forth like that for years… Thankfully, fate stepped in–we were reunited three years ago, and haven´t spent a moment (besides work) apart ever since," says Gwen. The thing that once kept them apart, their friendship, is now the thing that binds them together. And fate seems to be in their corner this time. Not only was same-sex marriage recently made legal in Arizona, but they also just won a contest to get a free dream wedding, courtesy of the Hotel Palomar in Phoenix! "I used to have a lot of regret about [the years spent apart]," says Gwen, "wishing we would have just been together from day one, but now, as I look back, it was so important for us to have our own life experiences first, so we could be ready to totally commit to the one."
All you need is love!
STEPHANIE & JAN
Brooklyn, NY
Stephanie, 39, doula/midwife
Jan, 40s, relationship and coming out coach
Before they became a couple, Stephanie and Jan made beautiful music together in the Stonewall Chorale, which is how they first met. And that initial spark remains; they can´t say enough wonderful things about each other. Jan loves Stephanie´s "smiling eyes," "nurturing spirit," and "qualities that can´t easily be written: the way she carries herself in the world, the sound of her voice, a look or a glance." Stephanie appreciates how Jan is caring, how she helps her relax and how she listens. "We are sensitive to each other´s needs and put each other first," Jan says. They also complement one another perfectly. "Stephanie is more of a physical risk taker and I´m more of a psychological risk taker. She´s the mature, grounded one who reels me in when I am unrealistic. I´m the dreamer who gets her to envision all of the endless possibilities." Their biggest challenge, so far, has been their different backgrounds. Stephanie is German and Jan is American. "We don´t have much of a common culture to share, but we get around this by delighting in each other´s differences," says Jan. They struggle with the work-life balance, too, like so many of us. "We both work from home a lot and needed to create boundaries when it´s ´business time´ and when it´s ´shut-down-the-laptop time." Though not married yet, they have talked about it. Most importantly, they want to keep a good thing going. "We envision our relationship growing even deeper over time."
