Love: Kimberly Cowperthwait & Christopher Turner

Hello there

The first time Chris laid eyes on Kim, he had taken a break from "pursuing the whole acting/writing thing" in Los Angeles to direct a play in his hometown of Wilmington, Del. His friend Tina was one of the actors. Her friend Kim was in the audience.

Instantly smitten, Chris asked Tina for an introduction. Tina obliged, but "Kim wouldn't give me the time of day," Chris said.

Kim, who grew up in Berwyn, didn't notice Chris' interest. During that summer of 2008, her heart was still tied up in a failing relationship.

In January 2009, Chris had a realization: he didn't want to be 70 years old, working as an extra on a TV show just to afford his rent in Los Angeles. He decided to stay in Wilmington for good and secured a job as an audio-visual coordinator for Advanced Audio Visual in West Chester. He satisfied his love for directing and acting by joining the Wilmington Drama League.

Kim, who by day teaches third grade at McVey Elementary in Newark, Del., also acts in Wilmington Drama League productions, and so she and Chris were frequently together. At one post-production dinner, Chris heard Kim say she didn't date theater guys. And when Kim heard through the grapevine that Chris wanted to ask her out, she told Tina to tell him not to.

"The minute I got off the phone with Tina, I knew I had made a big mistake," Kim said.

The next thing Chris knew, the woman who didn't want to date him was frequently calling and messaging. "I kept thinking, 'How does she not like me when I'm the last person she talks to at night?' " he said.

Kim began to realize her feelings for Chris when she pulled into a parking lot to wait out a hailstorm, and Chris offered to come get her. But she didn't tell Chris of her epiphany. One night, when he was a bit inebriated, he sent a flirtatious text to another girl.

Kim found out, and was hurt and furious. She called Tina, who told her to just call Chris, already.

"We were in our thirties, acting like we were 16," Kim admits with a laugh.

Soon after the call in which Kim confessed her feelings, Chris was the last guest remaining at her end-of-summer party. "I kissed her," he said.

How does forever sound?

In April 2010, Chris and Kim went to Disney's Hollywood Studios in Florida. Chris, who had worked for Disney in California, made a few calls ahead of time.