Our story...

November 21, 2013

Our story...

Welcome to our moment in time, the beginning of our eternity We are so happy to be writing the next chapter of our lives, God has brought us thus far and we look forward to living each day of our lives thankful for the blessing of each other.

Marcia Bailey & Rodney Dobson

ABOUT US

About Marcia

My name is Marcia and the thing I dislike most is talking about myself, but here goes... I work as a senior business analyst in down town Toronto, prior to that I worked for about nine years in the Information Technology field providing technical support to computer users. I enjoy a good book, volunteering, hanging out with friends and checking out local cultural festivals during the summer. Every summer I pick an activity that I have never done before, or visit a place I have never been before, just for the experience, I love new experiences. Last summer's activity was camping, this summer's activity, getting married!

About Rodney

My name is Rodney, Junior to very close friends and relatives. I work with the power compay in Jamaica, employed initially as a craft trainee and is currently the maintenance co-ordinator / planner for the 200MW plant. I love the beach, although I cannot swim, but there is nothing more stimulating than listening to the waves splashing against the rocks and shoreline, smelling the salt air, feeling the warmth of the sun with an ice cold Red Stripe beer in hand. I enjoy outdoor sports eg cricket, soccer, track & field just to name a few. The pulsating sounds of reggae music never fail to excite the party side of me. I enjoy festivals like Reggae Sumfest, Jerk Fest, Curry Fest, Yam Fest and ATI are just a few festivals I try to check out annually. I also appreciate, love and adore the finer things in life and it is for that reason I am marrying my best friend in the whole wide world

How we met

Marcia:

We chatted a few times before actually meeting. On a trip home to Jamaica in 2005 I took my grandmother to the optometrist and was waiting at my Mom's shop when I remembered Rodney worked nearby. I gave him a quick call and he popped over to say hello. I remember being fascinated by his freckles and his brown eyes, I had never met anyone back home who had freckles and thought they were so cute....( mushy alert!!) I was nervous, he kept staring at my lips and I remember joking that we both had gap teeth...so he could stop staring at my space now.

Rodney:

I met Marcia's mother before meeting her. I would take defective parts from work to her mother's machine shop to have them repaired. After chatting with her by phone and online, I knew she had the good natured genes and characteristics as her mom and I wasn't disappointed when we actually met. She was oh so beautiful and that heart stopping gap teeth smile had me weak in the knees. Marcia: I didnt get to spend time with him again for the rest of my trip but on that last day as I waited at the airport with my mother and uncle chit chatting and people watching before boarding my flight, I spotted a familiar figure. I was surprised to see him there and for a moment I didn't believe he was there but I was so happy to see him I must have been grinning from ear to ear. Rodney: We spent only a few moments together during her stay here due to the demands of work. When it was time for her to return home, I couldnt let her leave without letting her know that I was genuinely interested. So dressed in greasy work fatigues I went to the airport but I couldnt find her. With a disappointed feeling I turned to leave and there was that knee buckling smile, my whole world came alive again

Marcia:

The truth is in that moment I knew I wanted to know more about him but with the distance between us it would be years before either of us explored the possibility of taking our relationship to another level. Over the years we became best friends, we celebrated each other's accomplishments and would talk for hours about everything and nothing in particular.

Rodney:

Over the years, visiting each other yearly, and keeping the communication lines open, we decided to commit our lives and our future to each other. I'm looking forward to the next phase of our relationship when we legally become one in mind body and spirit.

Marcia:

In 2008 we made a promise to each other that we would be together....someday, November 11, 2011 we started discussing the possibility of taking that step towards our someday and by December 23rd we had a date set. I am so excited to spend the rest of my life loving my best friend.

When did it officially happen
Friday, December 23, 2011

How we got engaged

It was my birthday we had gone out to dinner at this quaint little restaurant called The Ruins in Ocho Rios. Dinner was delicious. I feasted on my favorite curry mutton with rice and peas with a healthy serving of fried plantains and carrot juice, it was mouth watering. There was a gentle breeze as the water cascaded across the rocks in the background. Brightly colored goldfish drift lazily in the tranquil pond nearby.

We ate and left as it was a cloudy day with intermittent rain. It was pouring as we drove around the town of Ocho Rios for a bit. I wasn't sure where we were going so I asked, and he said "we were going to pick up your birthday gift"....ooohhhh I love gifts..."what am I getting?" I ask excitedly..."we're going to get you a hair clip he says"...my smile frozen in place as I processed this most unusual choice of gift, but said nothing. I waited, since no one has ever given me a hair clip before...it was rather puzzling and well its the thought that counted right? We entered a duty free gift store, the last of four stores visited that day. I wandered off fascinated by all the colors and and the hand carved items on display....and yes I was in search of the hair clip choices. Rodney was somewhere at the jewelry counter talking to the store owner about some rings on display, after giving my opinion on some of his choices, I wandered off again to check out the rest of the store. Soon it was time to go and I suddenly became curious as we were leaving the store without the promised hair clip. I was beginning to think that they didn't sell such things in Ocho Rios. When we got back to the van he slipped a ring on my finger....and that's when I realized we weren't looking for hair clips, he was ring shopping. I know right? I was a bit slow that day or maybe just distracted, in any event that day he promised me that someday we would be together and where ever I was he was coming to get me and the meaning of this ring would change when that happened. I have been wearing that ring since. Years ago we took our first step towards our life together, we officially got engaged December 23, 2011 and on that day "someday" became the date September 1, 2013 when the meaning of the ring would change.