GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — Some may call it a coincidence, but they call it fate.
Doug McCready and Lynda Monsma were born on April 7, 1970 at Spectrum Health Blodgett Hospital just hours apart. Their moms were in the same recovery room.
"I kept thinking we're destined right? We're born the same day same, hours apart. She was born with her twin at like three in the morning and I was born at 9:30am, it's like, it's written in stone," said Doug McCready.
Their parents knew each other because Lynda's grandparents had a cottage next to Doug's family's cottage on Bill's Lake in Newaygo.
"The families knew each other a little bit, but the unique thing is that after one year her dad got a job in California," said McCready. "So the whole family moved to California when she was one years old."
Through the years, Lynda would come back to that Michigan cottage almost every summer to visit family. It wasn't until the two turned 16 years old that their love story truly began.
"It was a fun summer we hung out with my brother, her sister we just kind of hung out at the lake," said McCready. "I could tell I liked her, but I didn't really do anything about it because I was shy and dumb and I'm pretty much still am."
McCready says at 16 years old he knew, Lynda was it
When Lynda left to go back to California that summer, he put pen to paper and poured his heart out into a love letter.
"I'm 16. I figure this is how it's going to work. I'm just going to write it and we're going to be married and we're going to be all good," said McCready. "So I wrote it, said I liked her, I don't think I said I wanted to marry her, but it was it was pretty sappy and the problem was, is she didn't respond."
Weeks go by and still no response from Lynda.
Fast forward to senior year of high school, Lynda asks Doug out. Only to be denied. Her attempt, a victim of bad timing.
"I go, I can't go today the lions are on. So, she's probably, I can just imagine a reaction, 'Oh my god this guy's an idiot like you finally get a chance to go out with me and you choose the lions?'. Well, that sounds sad, but to me that was the best thing I've ever done because it really set the precedent for the next 30 years," said McCready. "It's like Sunday afternoons in the fall, leave me alone because I'm going to be depressed for three hours."
They got it right in college though and have been married since 1992.
The two are celebrating their birthdays on April 7th at Bills Lake in Newaygo where their love story began.
"The fact that we're turning 50 is kind of a momentous occasion," said McCready.
"One of the things that we've always said is, like, you can never go to bed angry at each other. Even if we don't care for each other we have to say 'good night' and 'I love you' and give each other a kiss,' said Monsma. "And, you know, we're about celebrating 28 years together in June. My love is still the same. Not just for the lions, but for her too," said McCready.
