It all started with a swipe right. In April of 2019, Marcus was finishing up training at The Basic School in Quantico, VA while Tawni was wrapping up her last semester of grad school at the University of Maryland. They stumbled upon each other on Hinge one day. A swipe, and a month's worth of casual chatting later, they decided to go on a real date! On May 12th, 2019, Marcus drove his Diesel truck up to Tawni's doorstep. Marcus and Tawni both say they felt their world stop when Tawni opened the door and greeted Marcus for the first time- as if life was happening in slow motion the moment they laid eyes on each other. Despite talking about the incoming storm and their need to take umbrellas with them, they both were too lost in the moment to grab some. Marcus and Tawni ventured to "El Centro," a Mexican joint, and got soaked in the rain on their way there. No amount of rain mattered though. After brunch and an episode of "The Office", the date came to an end. About 10 minutes after parting ways, Marcus and Tawni texted each other about how much they enjoyed their time together. Both of them knew right then, that this was going to be their last first date ever.
13 Weeks. After Marcus officially asked Tawni to be his girlfriend on June 23rd, 2019, they embarked on the challenge of dating through Marcus' 13 weeks of USMC Infantry Officer Course. Due to its physical and mental demands, IOC is frequently touted as one of the most difficult military training courses in the world. Over the 13 weeks, Marcus lost 30 pounds, hiked countless miles, trained endless hours, and spent weeks in the desert of 29 Palms, California. With limited opportunities to see and speak to each other, Tawni and Marcus got their first taste of the difficulties that come with military relationships. Despite the challenges, Marcus and Tawni fostered a strong relationship and came out of IOC better than ever. Throughout IOC, Marcus and Tawni discussed their desire for a future together. They decided they wanted to spend the rest of their lives by each other's side, no matter what life would throw their way.
5 h 30 min, 328.0 mi. Marcus moved to his first duty station, Camp Lejuene, NC in October of 2019. With Tawni remaining in DC, they were separated by state lines and 328 miles. Since his move, Marcus has driven the 5 and a half hours up to DC as often as he could (almost every weekend!). As he says, the drive was always worth it as soon as Tawni opened her door and they were reunited again. Despite their ever-changing schedules and the distance, Tawni and Marcus have always prioritized spending time with each other. One of the silver linings of COVID-19 was Tawni's ability to work from home in NC so she and Marcus could explore his new state together. Now having made incredible memories in DC and NC, both states hold special places in the story of their relationship.
February 29, 2020. A day that Marcus started planning in October 2019. While at IOC, Tawni and Marcus had made the decision that they wanted to spend the rest of their lives together. All that was left to do was finding the perfect ring and place to do it! With help from Marcus' sister-in-law Dee, and of course Tawni, Marcus was able to find a ring he knew she would love. Once he had the ring, Marcus enlisted the help of Tawni's best friends (and co-maids of honor), Steph and Cici, to help find the perfect proposal location. Upon deciding on popping the question at the DC War Memorial, the hardest part of the planning process came- keeping it a secret from Tawni. In order to catch her by surprise, Steph and Cici set up flowers and candles all around the War Memorial while Marcus had breakfast with Tawni. He then managed to convince Tawni to walk around the National Mall with him for some sight-seeing, despite it being one of the coldest days of the year. After getting to the War Memorial, Marcus pulled out a letter he had written to Tawni during one of his most challenging moments of IOC. After she read it, he got down on one knee and asked Tawni to marry him. To Tawni's surprise, Cici and Steph popped out from behind the marble columns after documenting that special moment. Best. Day. Ever.
Worlds Apart. Marcus deployed to Okinawa, Japan with his Battalion in the summer of 2020, and will remain there until early 2021. Despite Tawni having to stay in Washington D.C., a 13 hour time difference, and very busy schedules, they prioritize communicating whenever they can. One of their new favorite things to do is using the app "Netflix Party" to simultaneously watch movies or shows on Netflix together- it makes the distance feel less big! Upon Marcus returning from Okinawa, they planned to reunite and move into their first place together while Marcus finishes out his time at Camp Lejeune.
Together Again. After counting down the days, Marcus finally returned home from deployment in early 2021. Reuniting again was a long-awaited moment, and easily one of the best days of Marcus and Tawni's relationship. They're now happily starting their life together in their first home in Jacksonville, North Carolina. They don't know what exactly the next chapters of life will throw at them, but they do know they'll be happy as long as they get to embark on those chapters together.