Love story: Shannon and Robby Elquist found love is just as sweet later in life

It was Sunday, Dec. 18, 2022, the beginning of the long-awaited two-week Christmas break, when I responded to an online dating inquiry.

I honestly didn’t hold out much hope when I sent in my application. When this particular gentleman wrote me, I responded with my negative attributes: I had numerous cats and two dogs, still had three years until I retired from teaching before I could travel, and I was keeping an eye on my aging parents.

He responded that none of the above scared him and that he also had a dog, and our conversation began.

We talked numerous times those first few days and decided we should meet in person – the compromise location being Chewelah, Washington, as he was coming up from Spokane and I would drive down from Colville.

We ended up meeting at Zip’s for breakfast, and we sat and talked through lunch, poring through the travel atlas I brought with me. I knew we were onto something good when I found myself singing with the radio on my way home. Life had suddenly taken a turn for the better.

In a matter of months, I decided to take an early retirement and we decided to take the marriage plunge, selling our own homes to move to the compromised location of Chewelah and buy a camper van to see the country.

Nearly 26 months since that first text, we still pinch ourselves and wonder out loud: How did we get so lucky?

As an older couple, we treasure every day and our hope for the future is to continue putting a lot of travel miles on the van!