Alissa Johnson, born on October 14, 1984 was born and raised in Jacksonville, NC. 4 years later, LaTonya Jones was born on June 16, 1988 in Raleigh, NC, where she soon moved to Currie, NC. As children they both grew up only a few counties away from each other. 33 years later.... With Alissa living in Garner, NC and Latonya living in Durham, NC, the devastating Covid-19 pandemic was still in full effect and they both knew that life could change at any moment. Both decided that everyday was a blessing and each wanted someone special to share it with. The Tinder App wasn't a new concept. It had been created in 2012 and allowed users "swipe right" to like or "swipe left" to dislike other users' profiles, which include their photos, a short bio, and a list of their interests. The greatest feature on Tinder is that both users have to "swipe right" on each other in order to be able to communicate. Alissa saw Tonya's bright smile and dimple, swiped right, and was greeted with the message "Tonya Likes You"! Moments later Alissa received a message from Tonya, and little did they know, it would be the start of their relationship. In August 2021, Tonya knew she wanted to take her relationship with Alissa to the next level. She invited Alissa to her home county in Wilmington, NC, where she surprised her with a day on the beach, and a hotel room filled with rose petals, champagne, and towel swans. Tonya asked Alissa to be her official girlfriend and Alissa gladly accepted. Throughout the beginning of their relationship they slowly merged their households together. Tonya was adamant about not wanting pets in her home, and with Alissa having her beloved dog, Bella, Alissa was afraid that Tonya not wanting pets would be a deal breaker. However, Alissa knew that Bella was not a normal dog. Bella was well trained, well behaved, loving, energetic, and friendly. With hesitance, Tonya allowed Bella to stay for the weekend and slowly learned that Alissa was an amazing dog Mom and fell in love with Bella quickly. Without regrets, Tonya moved Alissa and Bella in fulfilling a spot in her heart that she didn't know needed to be filled. Over the next 2 years Tonya and Alissa travelled to Atlanta, GA; Charlotte, NC; Philadelphia, PA; Antigua; Washington, DC; Las Vegas, NV; New York, NY; and Curacao, they made memories, traditions, volunteered, ate, drank, jet-skied, roller-coastered, and loved each other more and more each day. By spending time with their families and having their families meet throughout the years, life couldn't be better!

For Alissa and Tonya's 2 Year Anniversary, Alissa gifted Tonya 2 tickets to see her favorite R&B group Tony, Toni, Tone Just Me & You Concert. Prior to the concert Tonya made a reservation at 21C's Counting House restaurant where they will be hosting their Engagement Party. When dinner was coming to an end, dessert was ordered. The waiter approached the table with a cloche plate, the waiter lifted the cloche and to Alissa's surprise was a decorated dish with the words "Will You Marry Me?" in dark chocolate. Alissa immediately burst into tears of joy as the dinner crowd roared into applause as Tonya got down on one knee. With a huge smile and happy tears Alissa gladly said "Yes". Two months later