We met in the summer of 2020…yes right in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic. Things were starting to loosen up a bit in regard to the pandemic in June of 2020, so long phone conversations eventually led to our first date in July at Crown Valley Brewing & Distilling in Ste. Genevieve, MO. While I was a nervous wreck waiting for her to arrive, she was fashionably late as always and to say I was beyond blown away when she walked through the door that day would be an understatement…but let’s take a step back for a moment. You see we had never actually met each other in person at that point. My best friend Ryan and his wife Ann had been hounding me for more than a year to create an online profile in an effort to meet someone “normal” to date. While I resisted, they took it upon themselves to create an account for me one night…and as they say, the rest is history. Both Beth and I had been divorced long enough to have had our share of “bad first dates,” “bait and switches,” and down right “awful experiences.” So that being said, I don’t think either of us had high hopes that day when we met for a late lunch and a drink. Wow…were we wrong! Our first meeting quickly turned into 3 hours of conversation about our pasts, our families, our faith, our careers and surprisingly what we wanted our individual futures to look like. It was at this point that we both began to layout to one another exactly what our hopes, our dreams and our goals were…and they were remarkably parallel! You see this doesn’t usually happen on a first date, but this one was different and we both knew it. Our conversation that day casually led us to the 3 things we both were looking for, and as we discussed them, our thoughts were incredibly in sync. First, we were both looking for our life’s love story. The story we would tell our grandchildren, the story that defined our lives, the story that led us to the happiest time of our lives. Second, we both wanted a relationship that had Christ at its center, that was based upon a common bond and commitment to live as couple based on the scriptural definition of what God wants for us, that would be an example to others of what God has for us, and what God can do for us if we allow him. Third, we both wanted a partner. Not just a friend, a spouse or a companion…but a true partner in every aspect of our life. It was uncanny how our conversation led us to these three things that day, and today we both still believe in them and strive to make them the basis of our relationship together. Needless to say, as I drove home that night, my mind was racing. I called Ryan. I called Kurt. I called Wes. I called Doug…and I couldn’t quite process what had just happened, but I knew it was different…better…and exciting. We saw each other twice more the following week and things continued to fall into place. More long conversations, long drives to see one another and long hours spent just getting to know each other led to what was a summer full of falling in love and the best time of our adult lives. So fast forward two years, a few vacations and many, many more long drives between Illinois and Missouri…and here we are…about to become husband and wife. After conversations with our families and our best friends, we knew by this Spring that we were ready to make it official. And, we did just that when I proposed to Beth on the beach this April in Aruba. It was perfect night, the perfect spot, with the perfect woman…and I’ll never forget it. So that’s our story. Sure there are still lots of things to figure out and surprises that are going to come our way…but we both know we are exactly where we are supposed to be right now! We are excited to see where the future takes us…and look forward to celebrating together with you all. Our wedding is the culmination of a life looking for each other, and we are so happy that you will be joining us on our special day.