His Side: One quiet evening in 2022, Bronson felt his phone vibrate with a new notification...he checked...after some less-than-satisfactory experiences, and a plethora of less than enticing women on Hinge, this notification hit different...ASHLEY COX is messaging me? He sat up quickly and tried to catch his breath. He had seen her many times at church (and checked her out every time he did) and talked to her (though she doesn't remember;) and he immediately got to work writing back. Beside her obvious beauty, her curiosity and energy was what drew him in. He knew right away that this was going to be fun! He tried not to get his hopes up too much, but felt like there was a crack in a door that he could wedge his foot into - after a lot of messages back and forth it was obvious that her zest for life, courage, integrity, and desire to grow in wisdom and truth with God and a good man, proved to be irresistible! Oh, and the icing on the cake? She likes roller-coasters and going fast! He knew he was in for the greatest ride of his life... Her side: Ashley could often be found sitting in the front row at church to direct a service. She would use these nights as an opportunity to look around the room and see anyone new. She had seen Bronson around doing photography and always had this notion that he was a really quality man (except for the one time he stood in front of her taking pictures and she thought he was a total rookie photographer and super oblivious...she felt pretty stupid when she learned how awesome he is at photography). Anyway, she was open to dating again and jumped back on Hinge hoping to have a different experience...it wasn't long after some sorting that she saw a familiar face come across her screen..."Bronson! I know him (well, sort of)" she thought. She looked through more photos and saw a happy, adventurous and shredded 6 pack of man and thought it would be a good idea to send a simple message. He always struck her to be a good man and she was ready for good one. He also happened to like a lot of the same things and commented that he had energy for life and that excited her (no one could keep up with her)! She doesn't like being forward but thought it would be nice to send a friendly "hello". She messaged him a short message that went something like "Hey! Funny running into you on here. I like a lot of the same things as you. Hope your week is going well and see you Sunday". She wanted to connect but not be too forward. What if he was dating someone else and forgot to take his profile down...she didn't want church to be weird... but what if he was interested, she wouldn't know unless she tried....and she is SO GLAD she did! Our side: So they decided to meet after a week or two of messaging back and forth. The first date was set for November 8, 2022. They were going to meet at Realm of the 52 Remedies (a really cool speak easy near Ashley's house) except that when they arrived, it was a requirement to have a reservation. They decided to head across the lot to the pool hall. Ashley has always liked pool and Bronson was game. He couldn't take his eyes off of her and the conversation flowed! She beat him in the first game but he hardly even noticed because he was having so much fun. It was a good thing given they both have a profound love for their Awaken church campus - they made connections and plans for the next date. It didn't take long for Bronson to ask her to be his girlfriend after a premiere of "The Chosen" - Since then, they have bonded deeply with Bronson's daughters, spent every possible moment together enjoying new delicious restaurants, finding new thrills, and going to every service at church together! God has showed His hand and His favor - they have grown individually and together in countless ways and give God the glory for every good thing...of which there are many!