A Love Letter To Mark Orsini

To celebrate Valentine’s Day, we asked Patch readers to write a love letter to that special someone and let us deliver it. This is Elizabeth Orsini’s love story about her husband, Mark:

“Our love story began with an old fashioned set-up. Mark, my now husband, was at a family BBQ when he first heard about me. He had recently broken up with someone. I, on the other hand, was enjoying lots of lighthearted online dating. I can still remember when Rachel, my best friend from high school, called to ask me if I would want to meet her cousin. He sounded decent and came highly recommended, so I agreed.

Our first date was three days later. We met for ice cream and a walk. Mark was tall, handsome and quite charming. Soon we found that we shared many connections: schooling, friends and life experiences. We also found ourselves laughing and joking together. The date could not have gone any better and we both knew we had stumbled into something special, something different.

Mark was just 50 and I was only three years younger. Neither of us ever married before, so we were pleased realizing how effortless falling in love could feel.

One night, as we were hanging up our phones a casual ‘I love ya’ blurted out of my mouth. I was mortified saying it first, but Mark felt the same and didn’t let me suffer too long before he said it too. What he has taught me about being in love is this: Love is a verb, an action that you find a way to express to your person every single day. He has proven this over and over again. I am loved!

I think I knew we would get married about three months in. It was the morning he rang my doorbell at 7 a.m. holding a single rose in one hand and a slab of bacon in the other. Bacon became a loving expression between us as we would find ways to incorporate this crispy delight in our gift giving. One Valentine’s day he made me a dozen bacon roses. For Christmas I made him bacon vodka which we enjoyed adding to our Bloody Mary cocktails. We have bacon ornaments on our holiday tree each year and even make bacon brittle and bacon bourbon cookies for our friends.

Our engagement was funny and romantic. On our way home from a trip to the shore we were basking in our happiness and discussing our future. We casually agreed to get married. We had a great laugh but that night I sat next to him and asked if he was serious. He said of course he was serious but a ring would close the deal. Little did I know he had already been thinking about proposing. Less than a month later, he did.

It was early August and we were meeting friends at a popular Italian festival. That morning I had been reading about how fun photo booths can be for wedding receptions, so I mentioned the idea to Mark and we added it to the wedding research list. While we walked around we found ourselves talking to a lovely couple who were running a photo booth there that night. We told them we would come back later and snap pics as a keepsake of the night.

When we returned, we dressed up in silly costumes and popped into the booth. Right before the third picture went off Mark turned to me and said that I looked perfect, except for something that was missing. I just looked at him not understanding what he was doing. He quickly pulled out a gorgeous engagement ring and said, ‘You may need this.’ That third picture caught it all -- my shock and then my complete joy saying, ‘Yes, yes, yes!’ The owners had us go back in and take a bunch more pictures, which we used for our save-the-date cards

Our wedding was 18 months later on October 11, 2014. It was a lovely church wedding with all our family and friends around us. The perfect day which included that exact same photo booth. We knew that day would begin our happily ever after.

But life has had other plans for us. Only a few months later my mom got very sick and was put in the ICU for four months. A few weeks later I broke my arm while working and couldn't drive. Then Mark was in a car crash while driving me to physical therapy for my arm. After rehab, Mom could no longer live alone so moved in with us forcing me to quit a new job. Finally, and most seriously, we are now facing uterine cancer.

There is not a day we don’t feel tested by life, but I wouldn’t change one thing about our story. It’s been quite a roller coaster ride so far but together we will beat this cancer scare just as we have won every challenge thrown at us.”

--Elizabeth Orsini

See all Patch love letters here.

For next month's Love In A Small Town feature, we want to know: What place in town will always be a reminder of love for you? Whether it's the park where you had your first kiss or the restaurant where he proposed, email your story to locallove@patch.com for the chance to be featured. Get more details here.