‘This is real’: Dave and Debbie celebrate a magical year together that showed them both the power of true love

Everybody feels the magic in the air when Dave and Debbie are together.

Dave felt it the very first time he saw Debbie. It was a moment that quite literally took his breath away, but then was followed by a glimpse of a woman with amazing depth, personality, kindness and caring. He learned pretty quickly that Debbie was a rarity with a world of beauty inside and out.

Dave could only wish then that Debbie might have felt for him a fraction of what he felt for her. But they had instant chemistry and shared a first kiss that felt perfect in the moment, and they have belonged to each other ever since.

They celebrate a one-year dating anniversary full of laughter, long talks and a joint sense of renewed belief in the power of love.

“I love everything about this woman, and she truly is my best friend,” Dave said. “I don’t know if I’ve ever experienced the ability to sit down with a woman and talk for hours on end and just laugh and smile.”

The real beauty in this amazing couple is that the way they laugh and smile together is both inspiring and infectious. They’re effortless partners who withstood their own challenges in life before they found each other. Now, they soak up every moment together and embrace a future that everyone around them agrees is decidedly bright.

“They complement each other so well,” friend Laura Moreno said. “They’re both young at heart. It’s like watching a high school couple. They’re so in love and infatuated with each other. They’re locked into each other’s arms and eyes all night. It’s like no one’s even around.

“Since their first date, she’s had this crazy smile on her face and no matter what she’s going through at that time he always manages to say or do the right thing and her world’s better again.”

Both their worlds are better beyond measure, and it all started with an inkling from a mutual friend in Katie that they might work together. She knew of both their situations and just believed they were a good fit.

Katie had never thought of herself as a matchmaker, but she couldn’t help herself in this case.

“They’re both just awesome,” Katie said. “I never really set anyone up or thought about it, but the two of them had so much in common. They loved life. They loved kids and both wanted the best for everyone.”

So, Katie ran the idea through Debbie and sent a text to Dave.

“I said, ‘I have someone I’d like for you to meet. I was wondering if there would be a good time,’ and I put one of those winky faces on it.”

Dave and Debbie made the connection on Facebook, and it wasn’t long before the whole thing felt like high school all over again. Dave felt those same first-date nerves, knowing how beautiful Debbie was and that he was “out of his league. So, he approached it like a gentlemen and got a second date, at which point they shared an unforgettable first kiss.

“Everything about that night and that kiss seemed like the perfect fit,” Dave said. “We have belonged to each other since.”

They tread lightly at first, but did a cannonball into the relationship pool when Dave proposed a trip to the Dominican Republic.

The catch? Dave asked her 2-3 weeks into dating, but the trip wasn’t for four months. Debbie needed a little convincing — and neither really knew if they would be together by then — but they went for it.

“We signed up, and it was funny as the days, weeks and months progressed and the relationship grew and grew and grew,” Dave said. “It was like ‘Holy cow, we’re here.’”

Dave and Debbie grew closer and closer, to the point where just days before their banner trip, Dave set up another major moment in their relationship.

Dave and his daughter Allaire “booed” Debbie at Halloween by setting up a bunch of candy and decorations on her porch, taking a quick picture, ringing her doorbell and speeding off.

Debbie was onto them, but Dave knew she would be.

As they both moved forward in the relationship with their guards up, neither had made the move to tell their kids before they were absolutely sure of where things were going.

Halloween night was Dave’s way of telling Debbie that he was ready enough to tell Allaire, who was thrilled at the idea of spending more time with Debbie’s daughter Chloe.

“Debbie knew at that point I had spilled the beans over our relationship and was absolutely thrilled,” he said.

They made arrangements and got Debbie’s kids, Lucas and Chloe, and Dave’s kids Sam, Allaire and Dave Jr. together for dinner. The kids got along just as naturally as their parents did, which was yet another sign that it all felt right.

Everything, in fact, has felt right for Dave and Debbie in their year together. They might have taken the long road here, but they found true love and partners who value and support everything the other does. They love hard and laugh even harder together while making their family and friends light up with the same joy.

“I hope when she reads this she realizes how special she is and that none of what she does goes unseen,” Laura said. “She deserves all the happiness in the world and I know Dave is the one that is able to do all that for her. And for Dave, I just love him! He’s an amazing person and  I can’t think of two people who  work together as well as they do.”

“I remember my wife Erin sitting there and Dave was in the other room,” Tim said. “She said something about, ‘Your boyfriend … what do you call him?’ Debbie said, ‘I call him my future husband. She was very matter of fact. That’s the way they are. They just click. I think that’s where it’s headed. I’m rooting for them. I hope that’s where it’s headed.”

It sure sounds like it could be.

“I’m very serious about you,” Dave said. “I cannot imagine a day in my life without you. This is real. I cherish the time we have together. I want this to last and look forward to a lifetime of sharing with you. You are the first thing I think about every day and the last thing before I go to sleep. You’re in my thoughts all day, and I just can’t get enough of you. I have no problem spelling that out.”