Captivating Couples 2013
Long Island, NY
Tracy, 41, nurse
Kelly, 25, neurosurgery physician assistant
Before they began dating, Tracy liked to tease Kelly about the lunches she brought in to their workplace cafeteria. Tracy would pick on my food because I would always have weird things, like tofu or mushrooms. I made her Brussels sprouts one day and probably excited her, jokes Kelly. It turns out the way to the heart is indeed through the stomach. We have a 16 year age difference, but somehow are always on the same page, Kelly explains. We do not argue over nonsense; we talk kindly. We always tell each other how we feel. We show love, feel love, and give love. Her two children have become our two children and we have become a family. According to Kelly, quality time together is the medicine for a healthy relationship. Emphasis on quality. Figure out what makes your partner smile and make it happen as much as possible. Tracy says that Kelly has a way of being her grounding force when she gets anxious. While a walk down the aisle is still a ways off, we know what kind of dishes we are registering for.
They hail from all over the nation, falling head over heels for one another in many different ways. But one thing ties all of these adorable twosomes together—love.
MELISA & KELLI
Fresno, CA and Hawi, HI
Melisa, 28, real estate broker
Kelli, 35, real estate sales counselor
In 2004, Kelli was working at the county public assistance office when Melisa stopped in, accompanying a friend who was applying for aid. Melissa slipped the security guard a note for me with her number, says Kelli. It worked-and the two began dating. The couple admits that the lack of acceptance from Kelli s ultraconservative family has presented its challenges, but they have formed a united front. They have managed to persevere by staying on our path, no matter what others believe, according to Melisa. They prefer their currentdomestic partnership to a marriage, as Kelli explains, I personally feel that marriage in the traditional sense is overrated. Just as politics and religion should be kept separate, so should love and law. As Melisa and Kelli move forward in their commitment to one another, they do so with an emphasis on respecting each others individuality, forgiveness ad a sense of humor. Kelli says that she hopes for a future in a place that is all liberation and love.
