Jocelyn and Terran’s story starts in March of 2021.
Coming out of the pandemic’s solitude, they downloaded Bumble to see who was out there.
Within a couple weeks, Jocelyn swiped right on Terran and was an instant match! (He had already swiped right.)
They talked for a bit, assessing each other’s interests and values. It was clear fairly quickly that they wanted to spend some time together.
They met in person for the first time on March 31, 2021.
A day later their lives would change drastically.
Injury and Recovery
On April 1st, experiencing the worst April Fool’s trick ever, Jocelyn tore her ACL playing intramural kickball.
Appointments were made and a plan was set in motion to repair the tear.
For some people this might be a gut-check moment: Trying to decide if this level of commitment in a brand new relationship was what they wanted to do.
Terran didn’t bat an eye and assisted Sinetta, Jocelyn’s mom, with her recovery.
Building Bonds
As the ACL injury healed, Terran and Jocelyn grew closer together. Walks with “destinations” (ice cream shops) around Bloomington became part of the routine.
Spending time with Copper the dog and Cleveland the cat was an adjustment for Terran due to allergies, but they won him over.
Trips to New Harmony, Indiana (a Marks Family favorite) became a regular event including a January 2023 retirement trip for Terran’s mom, Carol.
Buying a House
After many years spent renting an Eastside apartment (Terran) and a Southside home (Jocelyn), the two made the decision to combine households.
They briefly entertained renting together, but decided they had each had enough of landlords.
They looked at a number of houses, but none compared to the feeling they got when they walked into the first one.
5015 S. Rogers fit the bill from the beginning:
- Rural enough to have a big yard for Copper.
- Classic style (built in 1899).
- On a main road not too far from the blacksmith shop and Eagleson Lane.
Complete with a black picket fence, it ended up being the one. They signed on the dotted line in February 2023.
“Today’s your day.”
Most of 2023 was spent getting used to the new house.
By October they were more settled and started to think about future plans.
They knew they were devoted to each other and to building a life as a team.
So, Terran did an enormous amount of research (as he always does) on engagement rings.
With some feedback from Jocelyn, he picked one out and had it delivered.
One Saturday in November (the 25th to be exact), they were out running errands.
With the truck stopped at one of their favorite local businesses, Terran turned to Jocelyn and said:
“Today’s your day.”
The reasons for being upfront about it were two-fold:
- It allowed time to shower and get ready.
- Terran almost always does things like this. And Jocelyn loves it or at least accepts it.
“Can you help me with something?”
Once they got home and showered, they started watching the IU-Purdue football game.
Purdue was winning which made Terran happy.
Despite that, while Jocelyn was in the kitchen getting something, Terran nervously grabbed the ring from its hiding place and walked into the dining room.
He got down on one knee and called out to Jocelyn:
“Can you help me with something?”
Jocelyn came around the corner and Terran asked, “Will you marry me?”
She Said “Yes!”
They kissed and hugged and cried.
And this is where the story continues…
