In the late summer of 2019, the two of us were doing what single people do these days: internet dating. We matched, we texted, we spoke on the phone, and we had a “first look” outside Nicole’s office. The next night, we had our first date at Frankford Hall in Fishtown on a Thursday night. While Nicole was in the bathroom at the bar, a girl came up to her and said, “WOW, your boyfriend is really hot!” Nicole smiled and said, “He is, thank you,” never giving away that it was a first date. Who knew?

The next day, Jonathan was moving from his apartment to a new one across the street, and Nicole, being Nicole, asked if he needed help after she was done work. Her first task? Helping Jonathan carry a bed frame that they tried to take apart but simply would not budge. Eventually, they decided, “Let’s just do it.” They carried the frame down three flights of narrow stairs, through the courtyard, across busy Fairmount Avenue—where Jonathan commented, “I don’t know which one of us is crazier: me for asking you to do this, or you for agreeing”—around the corner, and up four flights of stairs in the August heat with no air-conditioning. When they finally got it into the new bedroom and went to set it down, it fell apart into pieces. Nicole lay on the floor and whispered to the person whose room was below, “Sorry!” After that debacle, they shared pizza and champagne to celebrate Jonathan’s new place—and what they did not yet know was the beginning of a love story filled with laughs and good times ahead.

Every single day after that, Jonathan and Nicole never missed a day of texting. On weekends, Nicole traveled from South Jersey to Philly to help Jonathan unpack and help him, Puddy, and Elaine—his beloved cats—make that apartment feel like home. One night, while unpacking photos, Jonathan pulled out a picture of his parents on a cruise. When Nicole looked at his late father and his mom, who lived close by in Center City, she realized she knew the woman in the picture. After asking Jonathan a few questions, Nicole realized his mother lived in a building right near her office. Nicole remembered walking back to work from an appointment one day when there had been an accident in the middle of Market Street, right at the corner where she needed to cross. She noticed a woman with a walking stick and special sunglasses who appeared to be sight-impaired and was about to step into the street amid the chaos. Nicole approached her and gently said, “There’s been an accident, and there is debris in the road. Would you like my assistance getting across the street safely?” With a sigh and an “OK, please hold my arm like this,” Fran Fulton let Nicole walk her across. They parted ways with a “Thank you” from Fran as she continued home. Back to the photo, Nicole thought, “Do you tell the guy you just met that you know who his mom is, or do you think that’s creepy?” Nicole chose the latter.

Time went on, filled with dates, weekends, concerts—our first selfie together was at The Met seeing Stone Temple Pilots—and Nicole learning what jujitsu was all about while hearing more and more about the gym on 12th Street. Jonathan learned a lot about banking, that Bon Jovi was, in fact, a band and not just one person, and that maybe Jersey girls weren’t so bad after all. Aside from their shared love of cats, movie quotes, Soul Train lines, excessive talking, Philadelphia sports—Go Birds!—Seinfeld references from Jonathan, Friends references from Nicole, Tito’s and soda, stupid humor, and comedians, it finally took Nicole asking, “Are you my boyfriend or what?” Jonathan sighed, smiled, and said, “Yes, I am.”

Nicole brought Jonathan over to New Jersey to meet her sister Denise first. The two had lived together every day since Nicole’s birth, and in the absence of Nicole’s parents, who had passed away, Denise was the one to make an impression on. Brunch at the diner—because where else does one eat in New Jersey?—led to Nicole finding out that when she had slipped off to the ladies’ room, Denise had said to Jonathan, “Thank you for making my sister so happy. Hurt her, and I will not be happy.” Denise would give you the shirt off her back, but hurting her “Coley” was not something to mess with.

Then came the time to meet “The Fran,” which meant Nicole had to fess up to the story of meeting Jonathan’s mom during their brief stroll across Market Street. Jonathan smiled and said, “Sounds like my mom.” They met Fran for dinner at Continental Midtown, where Jonathan brought up that she and Nicole were not strangers. Nicole told the story, and Fran, being Fran, replied, “Awww, thank you. I hope I was nice to you.” Jonathan laughed and said, “Which means you believe there was a chance you weren’t?” But that was Fran. She made no excuses for the woman she was. Very much like Denise, her message was clear: hurt my child, and I will not be happy.

When that little thing called COVID-19 shut down the world and forced everyone inside, Nicole and Jonathan decided to keep their “circle” to Denise, Fran—who was away in Arizona—the quarantined crew at the gym, Nicole’s excessive PPP loan coworkers, and, of course, each other. This is when things turned in a way they could not have imagined. First, Nicole became “the mule,” bringing alcohol over the bridge to Pennsylvania to make sure everyone stayed hydrated. She also became a toilet paper hoarder, stalking the Rite Aid on Chestnut Street on shipment days. One Saturday, Nicole was getting ready to head into the city when Jonathan told her to stay home. Nicole pushed to come over, but Jonathan told her, “There are protests scheduled in the city today, and I don’t want you to take a chance on getting hurt or pulled out of your car if anything goes wrong.” That was the day of the infamous riots in Philadelphia, when the nation watched as parts of our beloved city were looted and burned. It was also the day Nicole realized that Jonathan loved her. She already knew she loved him but had been afraid to say it too soon. When she finally reached him the next day, she told him, “I love you,” and he confirmed his feelings for her. And that was love.

And Then...

They survived COVID, but poor Elaine did not. It was a heartbreaking story: ten hours in the car in front of the vet’s office, being told she was okay, only to lay her to rest two short weeks later. Puddy was without his partner, and it was a sad time for them all. But with any storm comes the sunshine—and enter Uncle Leo. A rescue kitten from Millville, New Jersey—Jersey strong—Uncle Leo and his siblings were found near a retirement home by the Pine Barrens. With the help of Nicole’s best friend Lisa, Nicole and Jonathan adopted him at just eight weeks old. Since then, Uncle Leo has stolen the heart of everyone he meets, including his big brother Puddy.

Uncle Leo was a bright light during everything else going on in their lives, and they soon learned that this “just a tabby” was not normal. He would scale Jonathan’s pant leg, leap onto Jonathan’s shoulders, and land on top of his head. So what does a couple do? They get a DNA test and discover their bouncing baby boy is part Maine Coon, part Bengal, and a few other things too. And so came the wheel in the living room—and the cat who ran on it maybe ten times.

In between it all, Nicole threw Jonathan a 40th birthday party. The next year, when Nicole turned 50, Jonathan surprised her with a trip to the Cape May Zoo to privately feed the giraffes—one kissed her!—and later that weekend, he stood on the bar at the Ugly Mug and had everyone sing “Happy Birthday” to her. They watched the Phillies take the National League title in person and head to the World Series—okay, they lost. They watched the Eagles go to the Super Bowl—okay, they lost too—but still ran down Broad Street to see the city come alive, with people chanting and climbing poles. Then Nicole had a little scare and had a tumor removed from her spine. Three months later, Jonathan had major surgery for an aortic dissection and became part bovine with a cow valve. Through the setbacks and scares, they stayed in love and grew even closer, because love is love.

One night, after a few Moscow Mules, Fran Fulton stated, “I want to get a tattoo.” Jonathan, calling her bluff, said, “Okay, Mom, whatever you get, I will. Keep drinking.” Jonathan, Nicole, and Fran went one Sunday and each got a ladybug tattoo, all a little unique. And so the Ladybug group was formed. Friends of Fran’s joined in, and that was the start of the movement.

Every story is not always joyous, but you can find joy in it. Life’s only guarantee is that one day it will end. After a courageous battle with lung cancer, our Ladybug passed away during a furious storm; when the storm ended, so did her pain. On August 7, 2023, Frances Palmer Fulton left her beloved family, friends, and so many people she had touched with her humor, tenacity, fierce love of life, and passion for fighting for those who could not fight their own battles. She left behind a legacy of love, and she asked Nicole to make sure Jonathan married her.

While Nicole was not the center of Fran’s world or her life, this is where Fran’s love became part of theirs. She went to be with the love of her life for eternity, where they believe she is with Nicole’s parents, who also loved each other deeply. Their parents’ memories will live with them forever, as will the love they gave.

The year started out great. The Eagles won the Super Bowl, and a healthy Jonathan and Nicole went to the parade, where Nicole rode SEPTA for the first time! The night they won, they went down Broad Street with all the other crazy fans and felt the love between each other and the city they loved so much.

A crazy summer followed as Nicole unfortunately lost her job. But as with all things, it happened for a reason. Nicole and Denise prepared their house for sale, and both started new chapters in their lives. Nicole officially moved in with Jonathan, Puddy, and Uncle Leo in a new apartment in Philadelphia, while Denise remained a New Jersey girl with Savannah, Nicole and Denise’s comfort cat.

Adjustment is hard. Nicole left her lifetime best friend, sister, mother figure, conscience, and the one who saved her life. But they will always be besties and sissies, and Denise will be Nicole’s Maid of Honor and the one walking her down the aisle in this next chapter.

After more than six years together and so much life lived, the question was: when was it going to happen? Jonathan had a ring but wasn’t sure when the right moment would be. Nicole had no idea. She had a new job, a new city, and now had to pump her own gas? She just wasn’t sure what was coming.

On Christmas Eve 2025, they went to their favorite little bar, The International, which Nicole calls the Intercontinental. They came home before 11, and Nicole decided, “Let’s open gifts tonight. We aren’t kids, and we’re going to my sister’s tomorrow morning—let’s do it tonight.” Okay, thought Jonathan, someone isn’t sleeping. Nicole had Jonathan open his gifts first, and in his stocking was a pair of socks that read, “OK, boyfriend.” Oh boy, thought Jonathan.

As Nicole went into her stocking, there were the weirdest things inside. Side note: a Leitz tradition is that the best things come in your stocking. Nicole’s dad had always made a big deal of putting the best gifts for her mom in them, and all three sisters saw it the same way. That was where the jewelry was, the gift cards, the expensive beauty products Denise and Nicole gave each other—the icing on top of the Christmas cake. Jonathan had learned this two weeks earlier when Nicole told her networking group on a Zoom call.

In this stocking was a stuffed dog—“Are we getting a dog?”—weird lotion, hand sanitizer, jelly bears instead of Swedish Fish, and then... that was it. Jonathan looked at Nicole and said, “Nothing else?” All the way at the bottom, beneath the seams, was a square wrapped package. Nicole guessed earrings, but inside was a box with a light shining on the most perfect, beautiful sign of love from the man she loved: the ring. Jonathan got down on one knee and asked, “Will you marry me?” You know the answer. That is why you are reading this. And that is where Nicole and Jonathan became fiancés to each other, just before midnight on Christmas Eve.

On February 27, 2027, Nicole Leitz and Jonathan Fulton will become husband and wife at the Camden County Boathouse at Cooper River, overlooking the water in the 4 p.m. light. It may be chilly—hopefully not snowing—but it will be a beautiful day to share with the people they love and cherish most. They cannot thank the people in their lives enough for supporting and loving them the way they love them. Nicole can’t wait to be Mrs. Fulton—even if it is a competitor bank name—and Jonathan can’t wait to become Hubs. Forever.