Our story began on December 27, 2022. Gina had lost her late husband, Patrick in December 2021. Mike and Patrick had been friends since their days together at St. Rita High School. Mike and Patrick's friend, Mimi, had reached out to Mike letting him know that Gina was hoping to get together with Patrick's friends to stay connected.

Mike contacted Gina on Christmas Eve 2022 and they made plans to meet for dinner three days later on December 27, 2022. They met at Buona Terra in Chicago and much to the surprise of both of them, they sat talking and laughing for three hours over dinner.

They met for dinner again less than one week later and the conversation and laughter continued. It was during this dinner that Mike asked Gina to go see a comedian with him at the end of January, Jay Leno in March and the Nascar Chicago Street Race in July.

The rest is history, as they say...