Flashback to September 2021. TJ had just been told that dating life was hopeless in Aberdeen, MD. The best place to meet women was the local VFW. So, it was to the dating apps for him! Luckily, Ally was already on Bumble looking for TJ. After a few poor matches, they swiped right on each other. TJ had to pass Ally's first test: "Plan the perfect weekend getaway." TJ planned an amazing weekend of barhopping the best margarita spots in Philadelphia, sampling as many different ice cream joints as possible, skydiving in the Poconos, and catching an Eagles game at the Linc. Ally was astounded! This really was the perfect weekend! Where had this man been??? Little did she realize, all TJ had to do was read her profile, where she had so thoughtfully provided all the answers. From there, conversation flowed. After texting on the app, it was time to exchange phone numbers. Ally gave TJ her number, and he immediately jumped on it. After a half hour of silence, TJ assumed he had been ghosted and could not figure out why. Meanwhile, Ally had been sitting at home wondering why it was taking him so long to text her and assuming she had been ghosted. She couldn't wait any longer, and went back to the app to find out what the deal was. "Umm... Do you still want to talk?" "Yes! I texted you. I was waiting on you." "Wait you texted me???" It was then that Ally realized that she messed up, and the conversation flowed again. The next weekend, they made plans to go to a bar in Philadelphia. Unfortunately, those plans were immediately derailed. TJ's parents were coming for an impromptu visit, and he had to cancel. He offered to make it up to Ally by taking her out for brunch instead of dinner, and looking back on it, it was a perfect first date for them. The early days of their relationship were filled with several dates in Glen Mills, PA (the halfway spot) and hundreds of miles driven. As time went on, weeknight dates turned into weekends together. After a few weeks, in October 2021, TJ asked Ally "are we doing what I think we're doing?" and they made it official! They split time between both of their homes and made the distance work. In March 2022, they decided driving was for the birds and moved in to their first home, an apartment in North East, MD.