Welcome to our Forever

James and I originally met on a dating app. After talking for two days, we decided on a random Sunday night that we were going to go out to dinner. We decided on the Boathouse. When I arrived, the first thing I asked for from the waitress was a shot to help calm my nerves, but she told me they couldn't serve liquor on a Sunday, so I settled for a glass of wine.. That I didn't end up drinking. When James showed up, it was instant. We sat and talked for a few hours and actually stayed until they closed. When we left, he asked for a hug and then we went our separate ways, for the night. On my way home, I called my best friend to try to justify my self-sabotage after the very first date. Once she yelled at me and pretty much told me to stop being stupid, the rest became history.

Shortly after we started dating, not even two months in, my dad started going through severe heart trauma that left him in Cleveland Clinic for an extended time. During this time, James came up with me as comfort because I was having uncontrollable anxiety. One morning, after checking in with Dad via phone call to see how he was doing, Dad said not to worry about coming in and take a break because others were coming up to see him. James mentioned going to Niagara Falls since it was only a four-hour drive, as it's a place that was on both our bucket lists. About an hour later, we left our hotel room and drove the four hours to see the United States side of the falls. We spent only an hour at the falls and decided to venture into the city to explore. After James bought a hat at the Hard Rock Cafe, we started our way back to Cleveland. This trip was solely James' spur-of-the-moment idea to help me stay calm while my dad was sitting in the hospital.