Their story began with a Facetime call, and not one of their own. One Friday night, Mark and Shelby's close friends, who were dating, got the idea to introduce Mark and Shelby to each other. With 1,000 miles between them, Shelby and Mark met each other for the first time. It was a quick and silly conversation that ended with a swapping of their phone numbers. A few weeks passed and a few texts were shared when one day they decided to talk over the phone. 5 hours later, they said goodnight and they have talked every day since. One month later, Shelby booked a flight to Jacksonville. When they finally met in person, the chemistry they had built over the phone was felt immediately. During that trip, Mark asked Shelby to be his girlfriend. After a few visits and many Facetime calls later, Shelby moved to Jacksonville to be with Mark. Some may call it crazy, but Shelby and Mark prefer unconventional. It was a moment of "when you know, you know." They were in love and what other people said did not seem to matter to them. Mark and Shelby started to build their life together. Memories were being made, fun was being had, and the couple was enjoying spending time together. Suddenly, a pandemic hit, and life started to change. It was a time of so much unknown, but what they did know was that they had each other. Throughout the pandemic, their relationship grew stronger and they found their love for one another was growing more with each passing day. As the years continued, they moved a few times, attended many weddings, made some great friends, celebrated each other's victories, and even got their first puppy, Kona. Their once separate lives became one and little did Shelby know, Mark had a big plan up his sleeve. On the morning of December 17th, 2022, they woke up at 4 a.m. and took off to St. Augustine. Shelby had no idea what he had planned. They arrived at their destination for her to find out that he was taking her on a hot air balloon ride. At 3,000 feet in the sky, Mark asked Shelby to be his wife. Through tears of joy, she said yes! When their feet were back on solid ground, Mark knelt to one knee and placed the ring on Shelby's finger. On April 20, 2024, Mark and Shelby will say I do and make the vow to spend their entire life with one another. Life has a crazy, beautiful way of bringing people together. Mark and Shelby thank God everyday for their shared life and they are incredibly excited to see what their future has to hold as Mr. and Mrs. Bodkin.