SUFFOLK, Va. — Latoya and Giovanni Govia met 8 years ago on the treadmills at the YMCA in Suffolk. They knew right away something special was happening.
“It was like effortless, an immediate spark. The conversation was always flowing. We can talk about anything. We jump subjects all the time,” said LaToya.
Their Meetings at the gym became more frequent.
“He was intriguing. He had an accent, so I was like, 'I wonder where he’s from?'" she said.
Giovanni is originally from Antigua, an island in the Caribbean, and Latoya is from Florida. Before they knew one another, they lived in the same town in Florida at the same time, but never met until they both landed in Suffolk at the YMCA.
“The connection was easy. The conversation was easy. She wanted to know stuff. I wanted to know stuff,” said Giovanni.
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After only two dates, they just knew they had found "the one" and moved in together.
“We like to laugh a lot. About 90% of the time we’re laughing," they said.
Together, they've created a blended family and a home filled with levity and lots of playful ribbing. After eight years together, the military instructor, and art studio owner decided to tie the knot.
“She wanted to do it at the house and I was like, 'Well, we should do it at the 'Y' where it all started,'” said Giovanni.
“When I kept reading the email it said they wanted to get married on the treadmills. I said, 'Oh! Well that is a first in my 12 years,'” Kait Johnson, the Suffolk YMCA's executive director, said.
On Oct. 24 of this year, Giovanni’s birthday, the pair took their vows with only two friends present, a handful of staff, and "Y" members. They wrote their own vows and the two committed to go the distance together on the treadmill — and in life.
