My story with Ava starts at a young adult group known as Cor Jesu (Heart of Jesus). For many months, I had known her only as an acquaintance and nothing more. But my feelings for Ava changed when the world started to end – more specifically, when the advent of COVID began. My life and, well, everyone else’s lives were radically changed, and we didn’t know for how long things would be this way. But one day in April 2020, I woke up thinking about Ava. I thought it was strange; I didn’t normally think about Ava when she wasn’t around, so I brushed it off and continued about my day. But then it happened again the next day … and the next day … and the next day. I soon realized there was something else happening here, and that something was me falling head over heels for her. Only one problem: Despite the fact that she lived 15 minutes away, I had only communicated with Ava through Zoom meetings for the past few months and had no idea when I would even be in the same room as her again! I knew if I was going to start a relationship with Ava, I wanted to do it right. So, I waited. By July, the world had regained a somewhat semblance of normalcy (in the loosest sense of the term), and I was able to see Ava in person again. But by that time, I wasn’t quite as confident as I was when Ava was on the other side of a computer screen. I realized I needed to get to know her better, so I started to be more intentional about that. Over that summer, our friends did a lot of fun activities together that gave me more time to get to know Ava.

That September, my best friend was getting married, and Ava and I were both invited. I figured this was the perfect time to take a chance and ask Ava to dance with me at the wedding reception. When a slow song started to play, I went up and began a conversation with her, but I enjoyed talking with her so much I forgot to ask for a dance until the song ended! She promised she would dance with me at the next slow song they played. Unfortunately, I never got the chance, because that was the last slow song they played that evening. Even though things didn’t go as I had planned, I knew that I had been beating around the bush long enough. It was time to ask Ava out on a date. I planned on doing it that Wednesday after our weekly Cor Jesu meeting. But once again, God had other plans for me. That Tuesday, I got in a car accident. I was unscathed, but my car was totaled. I knew I couldn’t ask Ava out if I didn’t have a car to pick her up in, so I waited. After several weeks of buying a car and proceeding to find numerous parts that needed to be replaced and replacing said parts, I had finally worked up the courage AGAIN to ask Ava out. It was now the first week of November. I had had this girl on my mind for over six months, and to my surprise and great delight, she agreed to go on a date with me. But that’s only MY part of the story ….

A few months earlier in August, I was on a road trip with my friend, Kate, and amid the many hours in the car, the topic of vocation and guys naturally came up. At some point she asked me, “What about Dom?” I gave her my honest answer: that I would say yes to a date if he asked me but hadn’t really given it any thought. I had met Dominic about a year earlier, but I didn’t know him very well. But after that conversation, my interest was piqued. And by the time we were at a certain friends’ wedding, I was at least paying attention for any signs of interest. So, when he asked me to dance, I wondered …. And then nothing happened for another two months. By the time November rolled around, I had put any suspicions aside and forgotten about the “almost” dance. So when he approached me after Cor Jesu one evening and asked me if I would like to go out on a date, I was a little surprised but made sure to say yes.

I went into our date without any real expectations except to have a good time. He picked me up, we chatted over dinner, walked around downtown Roanoke, and then decided to simply drive around the countryside to keep the date going … which involved an unplanned meeting with his parents, but that’s a long story. At the end of the evening, he asked if I wanted to pray a Rosary on our way back to my place. This got my attention. And when we pulled into my apartment complex, he took out two tickets to the botanical gardens downtown and asked if I would be up for a second date the following weekend. His preparedness and intentionally impressed me, and I readily said yes. The following months were spent going on dates (and me trying to figure out what the heck was going on!). I still didn’t know one way or the other if I could see this going long-term, and I nearly pulled out after our second date. But at every turn, Dominic was patient with me, never pushing me faster than I could go. Slowly but surely – especially after a date watching a Jane Austen film at his recommendation – I decided to go all in. We kept dating and hanging out, getting to know one another’s hearts more. And eventually – only a few months later, in fact – everything clicked, and I knew where we were headed. Dominic did, too, and after a heartfelt conversation after Mass on Holy Thursday of 2021, we were on the same page. The next many months were filled with continual growth as a couple, and we won’t bore you with all the details, but we knew marriage was on the table. Now it was my turn to be patient. But eventually, the waiting ended.

The two things that Ava had told me were must-haves for her proposal were: 1) we must be alone – she didn’t want an audience; and 2) adoration had to be involved in some way. Easy enough, right? Well, I’m not always the best at planning things, so I went into the proposal very much being open to whatever God was wanting me to do. Perhaps a bit TOO open. On December 4, 2021, Ava and I started our normal Saturday date with some ice skating at Headwaters Park in downtown Fort Wayne. We then went to the St. Mary Magdalene adoration chapel right next to St. Vincent’s. (I highly recommend visiting the chapel if you are ever in Fort Wayne.) As we walked in, Ava noticed some angel statues arched above the back exterior wall of the chapel. Immediately, a lightbulb went off in my head. After adoration, I suggested we take a closer look at the statues. And that was where I asked Ava to marry me. Well, actually, what I said was “Will you go to heaven with me?” And, of course, her answer was yes. And the rest is history.