Lauren and Darcie are a beautiful pair from San Francisco that  love their communities as much as they love each other. After Darcie had all but given up on true love, Lauren stole her heart!

Lauren, left, and Darcie, on their wedding day.

Who they are:

Lauren: I am a Deputy Sheriff with the Marin County Sheriff’s Department.

Darcie: I’m currently a private childcare provider who enjoys volunteering whenever I can. I am fortunate to work with a non-profit that helps provide a tuition-free, literacy-focused after school and summer program for underserved youth in the Tenderloin and Western Addition neighborhoods of San Francisco. I have also had the amazing opportunity over the last year to be a part of creating some community service projects for Sweet. Besides my wife, my volunteer work makes my heart truly happy. I’d say my philosophy in approaching life is to try and make things better than when I found them and to respect all things around me. I admit I am far from perfect but continually strive to be a better person. I hope to be an example for younger generations. I want foster a fascination and respect for the environment by connecting inner city youth with the outdoors.

Darcie: Lauren and I are the couple that doesn’t go out as often as some but love to have a good time.  We especially love adventures and being active whenever we can. Our favorite thing to do is to pack an awesome picnic and take a day trip down the coastline, to wine country, hiking, zip lining or whatever we come up with next! We love to make dinner together or with friends and have good conversations with great food and a glass of wine.

Lauren: If I had to name a “philosophy” for our life it would definitely be that we like to give back to the community and help others. Darcie has set up multiple volunteer projects that serve at-risk youth. She keeps me busy with volunteer projects!

Love stories all start somewhere:

Lauren: We met in 2005. I was still in college and I worked at a coffee shop with one of Darcie’s friends. I can remember the first time we met, I thought she was so beautiful. That mutual friend ended up having a birthday party later in the year, and Darcie and I were both invited. We just hit it off, we were inseparable, and have been for 7 years now. Darcie is my family now.

How they got together:

Lauren: I don’t remember who asked who out! We just both gravitated toward each other.

Darcie: I think it was Lauren who asked me out first. We went to her friend’s potluck soup party for the first half of the night. I was nervous to be in a room filled with her friends but felt comfortable and happy to be with her. It was so packed, we sat on the floor and held hands while we chatted with the people around us. We ended up talking in the car for two hours before we said good night. And it was a good night.

How they knew it was the real thing:

Lauren: There is no one single thing that makes Darcie “the one.” She is the complete package. She is such an amazing woman: beautiful, smart and she has the kindest heart. We share a lot of the same interests (cooking, camping, being outdoors). I guess I knew she was the one when I started thinking about my future, she was always in the picture.

Darcie: When I first met Lauren, I was recovering from a relationship that had really brought me to my knees. I had decided forever love didn’t exist and that while I was able to be very committed to her and had no interest in dating other people, I couldn’t say we were going to be together forever. This put a little strain in the way we viewed our relationship but we knew we loved one another deeply and had no desire to breakup. We moved in together one year after we started dating. It was about three years into our relationship when I had a glorious realization. I realized how truly in love I am with her and even the slightest thought of losing her made my heart feel sadness I can’t express. It was that exact moment I started to plan how I was going to propose to her.

The Proposal and Celebrations

Darcie: Lauren and I love to take photo booth photos together and have been collecting photo strips since we started dating. I hatched this plan to propose to her in a photo booth and secretly invited all of our friends to be witnesses and celebrate in our love with us. (I hope that’s not too squishy or makes you want to hurl!) Even when forty of our friends just “happened to be at the bar” where the photo booth is, she had no idea I had set it all up. When we headed into the booth to take a photo, I had my best friend switch out the new photo strip for one I had taken earlier that day while Lauren was out work. This photo strip pictured me with a different heart in each of the four frames that read ” Will You Marry Me?” As she looked at the photo strip after we came out of the booth our friends gathered around us and I got down on one knee and asked her to marry me. She was speechless. She finally choked out a “yes” through tears of joy. Phew. We were married a little over a year later in September of 2011.

Lauren: Darcie and I got married (unfortunately not legally, but we are domestic partners) in September of 2011. We did the whole thing in Golden Gate park, all outdoors. We had the ceremony at the Dutch Windmill, then had a catered picnic wedding in Marx Meadow. It was such an amazing day. We relied heavily on friends and family to bring the whole thing to fruition, and everyone came together to make it amazing! We had originally planned to get married on 09/10/11 but we had to change plans when we found out a free concert was being held in the park that same day. We didn’t want to compete with thousands of people so we switched the date to the following weekend. It worked out great because 09/10/11 was an ugly overcast day, and the day we ended up getting married it was 80 degrees, sunny and beautiful the whole day!

What challenges have you been through that have cemented your bond?

Lauren: Going through the Police Academy was definitely a challenge. I spent 5 months training in Windsor. I lived there Monday-Friday and would only come home to San Francisco on the weekends. Even when I was home, I was usually studying and preparing for the upcoming week. Darcie was extremely supportive of me during that time. She gave me a ton of encouragement and even let me practice my handcuffing and arrest techniques on her!

Darcie: Lauren worked a graveyard shift for three years up until a few months ago. She would come home from work at 7 AM and I would walk out the door for work at 7:15. We didn’t have any days off together and the time we did have, I was often beat from ten hour work days. By the time the end of dinner rolled around, I was ready for bed. Meanwhile, she would be up until at least 3 AM because of the schedule she was on. It was nearly impossible for us to find time to connect and be with one another. At times it put a tremendous strain on us because we felt like ships passing in the night. We started making formal dates to remind ourselves how lucky we are to have each other and to make what time we did have meaningful and worthwhile. We learned to put true efforts into communicating effectively what we were feeling and committed ourselves to not giving up. We chose to see the tough place we were in as a temporary stop on our journey together. Our bigger picture was worth it. Without the tough times, because we all know they happen no matter how amazing a relationship is, we wouldn’t be us. We’re partners, in every sense of the word. She’s my best friend, my biggest fan, someone who challenges me while lifting me up, my lover, my love, my wife.

The post ‘Real-Life Love Stories’: Proposal in a photo booth first appeared on Lesbian.com.

BY CANDY PARKER
Lesbian.com

Over the course of the last six months, I’ve gone from never having ventured beyond the confines of the continental United States to earning two stamps on my brand spankin’ new passport. Now, fully infected with travel fever, I’ve scheduled four more overseas trips in the next year-and-a-half and continue to fine-tune my budget in hopes of adding more.

In reflecting on my travels thus far and looking forward to those which lie ahead, I compiled the following as a guide for those contemplating their own boundary-breaking journeys.

“Good company in a journey makes the way seem shorter.”
Izaak Walton

While Walton was most assuredly talking about the individuals with whom one chooses to travel, I’ll assign the alternate meaning of the word here and offer that choosing the right travel company is every bit as important. When planning my first weeklong, adult, no-kids vacation I had some choices to make. Did I want to go it alone rather than booking with a group? And, if I went with a group, which one would be the best fit for me?

The first question was a no-brainer as I recognized as a newbie traveler I’d get more out of the experience if someone else did all the legwork. I had no experience researching and scheduling excursions. I didn’t know which resort had the best beach access and friendliest staff, so I decided to let the experts do their thing.

After that it became a matter of which experts to use and in making that decision, I did have some homework to do.  Ultimately, after talking with friends and reading a bit online, I chose Sweet. First, the time and place for one of their upcoming trips were right for me, but more importantly, I liked what they were about. While many travel companies now claim to be green and/or promote community service in their travels, these concepts weren’t afterthoughts for Sweet, they were the founding principles. Their passion was evident on their website and the reviews of those who’d traveled with them previously were all I needed to seal the deal.

“He travels fastest who travels alone.”
Proverb

One of the scariest aspects of traveling can be going solo; a prospect often faced by us single ladies. But rather than be intimidated by the possibility, embrace it. Don’t get me wrong, traveling with the woman you love and adore is clearly a fantastic proposition, but until she comes along keep living your life and enjoying the freedom afforded by your single status.

You want to stay in the pool and play volleyball all day? No one is going to stop you. You want to get up at the crack of dawn to tour the island via golf cart? There’s nobody holding you back. Rather than being intimidated by your lone stranger in a strange land status, make the most of it and think about how sexy and independent you’ll appear to be when chronicling your travels on your next first date.

“When preparing to travel, lay out all your clothes and all your money. Then take half the clothes and twice the money.”
Susan Heller

Everyone knows to travel light, but making yourself do so is another thing altogether. In preparing for my first resort vacation, I began organizing weeks in advance, setting aside items as they crossed my mind, and adding to my packing list almost daily. This is another aspect where it’s nice to have the experts looking out for you, as Sweet provided a packing list that covered everything from toiletries to the unique items I’d need for the special theme nights and events.

Checking in at the airport I struggled to meet the airline’s 50-pound baggage weight limit and still felt as though I weren’t bringing enough clothes with me. In the end, I found myself not using a full third of the clothes I had packed. What I learned is to bring more swim/pool wear and fewer things that need ironing. Just as there is no crying in baseball, there is no ironing in Mexico. When faced with a choice between zip-lining with my new best friends or ironing a shirt for that evening’s dinner, I’m going to go zip-line every time and so should you.

As for the money, herein lies the beauty of an all-inclusive vacation, as Sweet offers with its resort-based vacations. Sure, you could spend a little extra on some of the excursions if you want, but most can be had at no charge by using the resort credit negotiated by Sweet. Swim with dolphins, snorkel, scuba dive with underwater statues, take a boat tour around the island, or get a massage in the spa, all at no charge.

One money-related tip I would offer is just that — tip. The vacation pricing includes gratuities, but if you want to see bartenders snap to attention at an all-inclusive, pack a wallet full of one dollar bills and make it rain.

“A journey is like marriage. The certain way to be wrong is to think you control it.”
John Steinbeck

If you’re fortunate enough to naturally be a go-with-the-flow type, congratulations. But if as I am you’re afflicted with an A-type personality, do yourself a favor and gear down to B-type for the duration of your travels. Sure, you can laud the benefits of your obsessive compulsive disorder while you pack — it’s always great to have someone along who has everything from aspirin to aloe vera, bubble bath to Band-Aids and digital cameras to dental floss with her — but once you’ve arrived at your destination, do yourself a favor and let go.

Maybe a suitcase will suffer a late arrival (one reason to keep all medications, a change of clothes and any other absolute necessities in a carry-on); perhaps the line through customs will be unimaginable; possibly it will rain.  None of this will be made better by stressing about it. Breathe, be present, and remember there are worse things in life than sitting on a balcony at a luxury resort in Mexico watching the rain.

“To awaken alone in a strange town is one of the pleasantest sensations in the world.”
Freya Stark

One of the unexpected pleasures of traveling is that it affords a level of freedom and an opportunity for discovery that one rarely realizes in everyday life. Of course I’m not recommending you go through the week assuming a manufactured identity, but remember you’re with a group of people who have no preconceived notions of you. Be who you want to be; be your most authentic version of you. Maybe others have always told you, and you’ve always told yourself, that you’re shy. Well, here’s the chance to shed that label and not have anyone wonder what’s gotten into you.

Approach each day of your vacation as if it’s an unopened gift. Rip off the bow and the wrapping paper and remember what it feels like to discover something new. Our daily grind doesn’t often afford such opportunities and part of getting the most from your vacation is assuming the role of curious explorer.

“If you reject the food, ignore the customs, fear the religion and avoid the people, you might better stay at home.”
James Michener

There’s no way around this one — if you plan to spend your entire trip complaining about the lack of access to a McDonald’s or the mores of the locals, you’re going to be miserable and so will everyone around you. Open your mind, open your heart and welcome the differences. Otherwise, Michener is quite right; you may fare better at home.

One of the most fantastic aspects of my travels with Sweet has been the opportunity to interact with the native community in a meaningful way. Whether building a shed at a special needs school, visiting an orphanage to donate necessities, spending the day bathing stray dogs, or cleaning up trash on the beach, every interaction is a chance to learn and become a more accepting and compassionate individual. Don’t waste it.

“I have found out that there ain’t no surer way to find out whether you like people or hate them than to travel with them.”
Mark Twain

Amen, Mr. Twain! Second perhaps only to the destination itself, the people with whom you share your travel are the factor with the greatest potential to impact your experience. Of course, it’s always wise to choose a harmonious travel companion, but don’t discount the influence of others in the group. Sure, they’re strangers when you first arrive, but do you want them to be strangers at the end of the week?

This is where I can’t find enough superlatives to describe the people with Sweet and the women who travel with them who are affectionately known as Sweeties. Again, do your research. Talk to friends, check the buzz on Facebook, browse the forums on the various company websites. If folks are friendly online, chances are they’ll be friendly in real life.

With Sweet, I was able to join the Sweeties group on Facebook months before my first trip which allowed me to make friends before I’d even set eyes on my fellow travelers. Initial introductions were made all the easier for it and I was able to avoid the awkward standing around the edge of the action, wondering who to talk to moments.

“Travel is more than the seeing of sights; it is a change that goes on, deep and permanent, in the ideas of living.”
Miriam Beard

Simply put, be prepared to emerge from your vacation a changed individual. Whether miniscule or monumental, a change is gonna come, as they say. If you avail yourself of all that is offered while traveling, one can’t help but emerge with an altered perception of oneself and the world.  This is why a recent poll found that people value experiences over things; experiences make us think, challenge us, enrich us.  Experiences are literally priceless and the best vacations will provide for a life-changing legacy, if you allow yourself to be aware of and open to that possibility.

“Long voyages, great lies.”
Italian proverb

Just as every fish grows bigger with the retelling of the story, so it is that travel tales are enhanced and become more cherished with the passing of time. Reuniting with friends made on a previous Sweet vacation reminded me of settling in at the Thanksgiving table with a loving, happy, and fully-functional family.  Legends are made in the collective reconstruction of past events and the laughter is loud and uncontrollable.  How many trays of bumblebee shots were imbibed that night in Cozumel? How violent was the rocking of the ship during Sweet’s inaugural cruise as the crew attempted to outrun a hurricane? Which team bested the other in the marathon touch football game on the beach?  Only those who were there know for sure, but that doesn’t stop everyone from chiming in and augmenting the tale in the name of fun.

“Once you have traveled, the voyage never ends, but is played out over and over again in the quietest chambers. The mind can never break off from the journey.”
Pat Conroy

Giving oneself the gift of travel is the ultimate act of self-love, for what you experience, what you live and taste and see can never be taken away. It’s a magical and somewhat unfathomable treat to those who have yet to experience it. So the last tip I’ll give you as you prepare for your journey is that once you embark, the travel bug will bite you hard. You’ll crave the camaraderie, the fresh experiences, and, if you travel with Sweet, the opportunity to return and truly make an impact wherever you go. Fortunately, Sweet knows this which is why they offer interest-free payment plans.

The post The Sweet life of lesbian travel first appeared on Lesbian.com.

Traci Dinwiddie is a perpetual motion, super-amazing doer of everything. She’s an actress (“Elena Undone” and “Supernatural”), Yogini, West African drummer with eyes that stop passersby in their tracks and a smile that turns knees turn to jelly. She’s got a heart the size of Mount Kilimanjaro and fans that would gladly climb it for her any day of the week. And as if all that weren’t enough, Traci is adding trapeze mastery to her arsenal of awesomeness.

I met Traci while vacationing in Isla Mujeres, Mexico with Sweet in September 2011 and immediately connected with her incredible spirit. We spent an afternoon in the sun surrounded by frolicking lesbian vacationers, a backdrop which reflected perfectly the essence of her beautiful soul.

I’m a fan for life and you can be, too. Traci is easily accessible via Facebook, Twitter and at her official site —and you won’t have to climb Mount Kilimanjaro to see her.

Cheryl Mazak is a Toronto photographer obsessed with getting the heart of her subjects. See more from Cheryl at inmyphotos.com.

The post Inside Out: Traci Dinwiddie is “Elena Undone” in the Sun first appeared on Lesbian.com.

Parker created a Facebook event — “Candy’s Super Sweet Photo Caption Contest” — in which she committed to award three prizes, each of which will help the lucky winner defray the cost of a trip to Hard Rock Vallarta with Sweet in April 2013. Prizes valued at $350, $225 and $100 will be awarded to the caption contest winners.

“I rave about Sweet is all the time,” Parker said. “I’m hoping that by my sponsoring this contest, people will take notice. I mean, who does something like this for a company unless you truly believe in them and what they’re about?”

Sweet offers eco-friendly vacations with numerous meaningful community service opportunities for its travelers, or Sweeties, as they prefer to be called. The company strives to make world-class travel accessible to all lesbians and offers 12- and 18-month interest-free payment plans for most of its trips.

Through her caption contest, Parker will make the initial down payment for three lucky contest winners, the first and final payment for one winner, and the final payment for yet another winner.

“It’s a win-win-win in my book,” quipped Parker. “Sweet wins, the contest winners win, and I win by knowing that I’ll have three more new friends in Vallarta next April.”

Enter Candy’s Super Sweet Photo Caption Contest

The post Sweet traveler hosts caption contest first appeared on Lesbian.com.