Last updated on December 23rd, 2025 at 11:05 am
It was our second year attending the Twins Days Festival in Twinsburg, Ohio. Unbeknownst to us, it was also Jeff and Matt’s second year. First, let me back up a bit.
As identical twins, Melissa and I were very close. We went to college together, worked as registered nurses in the same intensive care unit on the same shifts, had matching cars, and even bought a house together. We wanted to get married someday, but men can be intimidated by the twin bond, so we weren’t sure how that would happen. People often joked that we needed to find some nice guy twins, and we knew that would be a dream come true and a prayer answered. We were living a fairly normal life together, filling our spare time with our dogs and horses. We even published a novel together, “Daisy’s Dreams.” But everything changed the day we met Jeff and Matt.
It was the last day of the festival. We had heard that many twins were meeting at the local bowling alley, so we decided to check it out. We were instantly drawn to the guys, and agreed to meet at the nearby coffee shop to talk. They were from Michigan, and we were from New Hampshire. It seemed like worlds apart, but I think we all somehow knew that we had something special and mere distance would not separate us. Thus began a long-distance relationship for Jeff and Mary and for Matt and Melissa.
It was not long before we realized we wanted to be together, so Melissa and I sold our home and moved to Wisconsin. Within a few months we were planning a double wedding, and were married one year after that bowling alley meeting. In Wisconsin, we lived beside each other in adjoining duplexes, and although we had our separate lives, it was nice to be close and just walk next door whenever we wanted to see each other.
Through the years, life has taken us many places, but we remain bonded. We have had children very close together. Jeff and I were the first to give birth in 2008 to our identical twin girls, Grace and Hope. Four months later, Matt and Melissa welcomed Adelaide to their family. Then, in 2010, our children were born a month apart — Patience joined Grace and Hope, and Isaiah joined Adelaide. Most recently in 2012, we once again had children born 4 months apart. This time, Melissa gave birth to Evelyn and then I had Micah.
We now make our homes in New England and live about 3 hours apart, but we visit regularly and call often. Melissa and I both quit our nursing jobs to stay at home to raise our children. Jeff is a welding engineer and Matt is a heavy equipment technician. The moments we are able to be together are truly treasured. Our children love spending time with each other, and they look more like siblings than cousins. We often get many questioning stares when we are all together, but I guess we are used to the attention by now. Twins are often singled out by curious onlookers, so it is something we all have grown up with.
We know that we have something rare and special, and feel very blessed.
Told By Mary Lemke
