They say if you want to make God laugh, tell him your plans. Well, God is having a good old laugh at our expense because this wasn't where we believed we would be three years ago, but God did. We met online at a time when the world was anything but normal. COVID-19 was keeping people isolated in their homes, and social gathering had become a thing of the past. The first month of our friendship we spent talking and texting, then finally we both decided on January 11th, 2020, that we were going to throw caution to the wind and finally meet one another face-to-face at Franklins. We weren't looking for anything in particular, just a vibe and good times. One date turned into five, which turned into us spending almost every weekend together and conversing about anything and everything. I didn’t want any more children, and she didn’t want to get married. We’ll look at us now. God definitely had other plans for us.

The night of Nate’s fortieth birthday party on September 3rd, 2021, we celebrated with friends and family at a local karaoke spot. Amongst all of the laughter the singing and pure fun he texted me in true online dating fashion (Yes, I was at the party), asking if I would be his girlfriend. My phone service was not at its best, and I didn’t get the text until we left the venue. I wasn’t upset that he asked me through text, but I just wondered why he didn’t ask me face-to-face. Nevertheless I smiled a wide, dimpled smile and said yes.

I remember sitting on the couch and laughing with Kira about one of our crazy adventures. She was laughing so hard that she had to use the restroom. While she was in the restroom, I remember saying I could do this for the rest of my life. So I texted her best friend and was like, Hey, I want to spend the rest of my life with Kira. After we got past all the screaming and her bestie said, “Yes, my best friend is getting married,” we began to put together what we thought would be the best engagement of all time. So on September 3, 2022, I took Kira to Riverwinds in New Jersey and waited for my photographer to get in the best position possible with my heart beating a million miles per hour and family and friends waiting in a different part of the restaurant. I asked Kira if she would marry me. First she said stop playing, but after I assured her this was real, she said yes! That's how we became #Bound4Brookins.