Meet Leslie from Utah

She has two older brothers. Her father was an outdoorsman. He loved kayaking, hunting, and fishing. He would often bring her along on his outdoor adventures. Leslie said, “He had his PhD in environmental biology. He absolutely loved history and geology, and he definitely would’ve loved visiting Howe Caverns.” Her mother was a homemaker. When Leslie was around 11 years old, her mother was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis. She remembers throughout a lot of her childhood her mother not feeling well. She would often take care of her. Leslie was married at 19 years old and had two children by the age of 22. She was married to her husband for about 15 years. Eventually, they both went their separate ways and divorced. She said, “From that marriage, I gained a daughter and a son. I also have four grandkids.” She’s currently in New York, visiting her wife. She said, “When I met Karen. She worked in New York and I lived in Utah. Karen managed a team in Utah and she would often fly to Utah for work. We first met remotely through work interactions. One day the stars aligned and we met in person on one of her Utah trips. We started dating in 2013. Our first date was at the Rock ‘n’ Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland, Ohio. We were together for about five years, and then life happened. We were both going through some major life changes and decided to take a break. We owned a house in New Jersey together throughout the separation. We rented it out to tenants so we would communicate about once a month to catch up. Then, Karen’s mother passed away. I had always felt very connected to Karen’s mother and I had known that kind of loss having lost my own mother too soon. I decided to reach out to Karen and offer my condolences through sending a poem about grief and loss. Moments before Karen picked up her phone to read the poem she had picked up her mother’s class ring from being refitted. That was the moment that we reconnected and we have never separated since. The loss of a parent is incredibly hard. When I lost my mother, everything changed. There’s an inherent connection we have with our parents. I feel like that connection lives on long after our time here on earth is through. Our loved ones come to us with little signs to let us know that everything is okay. When my mother passed away, I began seeing ladybugs everywhere, even in the middle of winter in Utah. Ladybugs are my mother’s way of connecting to me. We will always be divinely connected to the energy and souls of our loved ones.” Leslie’s favorite thing about Karen is that she doesn’t jump to conclusions. She always considers the whole situation and as many perspectives as possible. She’s very funny and is calm in any storm. The one thing Leslie wants to tell the world is, “Be kind. Don’t judge. We are all in this together. Carry that with you everywhere you go, not just through specific moments together. All of us are going through life together.” Thank you so much for visiting!