Haley and I met the very stereotypical millennial way of meeting through a dating app. You know, one of those apps you just mindlessly swipe through while you’re bored? I never really thought I would meet someone, let alone start dating someone, from an app, but I was clearly wrong. I vividly remember seeing this attractive blonde girl that made me pause on the mindless swiping and actually pay attention. Her bio read “feed me tacos and tell me I'm pretty” and a few pictures posted including one of her holding a snake. Fun fact – snakes absolutely make my skin crawl. A few things quickly crossed my mind. First, wow this girl is beautiful. Second, I know how to make tacos, and third, I’ll just ignore the snake in the picture. Shortly there after we matched. Haley started off with a pickup line that had me from the get-go – “Hey! How’s your Thursday going?” We talked for a few weeks and eventually decided to meet up for a date downtown for dinner. Unfortunately, the entire city of Knoxville decided to flood which made traveling around town impossible. Haley was quick to reschedule the date before I left town for Memphis, and we finally secured a date...

We planned to meet downtown on top of a parking garage near Downtown Grill and Brewery where we were going to eat. As my usual self, I got there way too early to make sure I wasn’t late. I texted her to let her know I had arrived, and what type of car I was in. However, my text went through as a green bubble instead of a blue iMessage. For a second, I thought maybe she had gotten cold feet and backed out. Haley mentioned she had been rear-ended at a stop light several days earlier which left a big scratch on the back of her car. Luckily for me, I saw a car with a scratched-up bumper and a pretty blonde girl pull up. We ended up walking around downtown for a bit as we waited on a table. I quickly saw Haley’s adventurous side as she wanted to walk down an alley that I would have preferred to avoid. The conversation at dinner mostly surrounded Rey, obviously, which is probably who I have to thank for Haley and I being where we are. Without Rey being in my profile picture, I’m not sure Haley would have swiped right on me. By the end of the night, Haley asked if she could meet Rey. Who wouldn’t want to see a golden retriever on a first date? The two of them met, and it was a match made in heaven. Between Rey and Haley that is. I was more ready between the two of us to begin a relationship, but I wanted to make sure Haley could open up however quickly or slowly she needed to. She says to this day I was the first one to fall for the other, but we can leave that up for debate.

Charlie and I met through a dating app called Bumble - this was not ideal for me, but hey, dating in this current world wasn't easy. Talking to anyone on an app, let alone actually meeting up with a stranger was definitely not something that I was expecting to do! Until I saw a picture of this guy with the cutest golden retriever I have ever seen. And that was it. My heart was stolen by this guy's dog - so I had to swipe and see what happened. After a few messages and phone numbers were exchanged, I realized that Charlie was so far not creepy and I really wanted to meet his dog Rey in person... So we decided to set up a date! I was in the middle of moving and also on the hunt for a fur baby of my own. The day rolled around where it was going to be time to meet. God had a different plan that day and decided to completely flood Knoxville. I'm not kidding - we couldn't go anywhere because the entire town was submerged under water. Charlie was about to make a trip to Memphis, but we made sure to make plans to meet each other before he went. We decided to meet downtown, and I was on the phone with my MOH and BFF Sarah, telling her how it was a bad idea that I am meeting a complete stranger. I thought about leaving, when I got a text saying "I think I'm parked behind you." Well.. I was spotted, so there was no turning back. Our first date was at Downtown Grill and Brewery. After dinner, we passed a homeless man that is always downtown selling newspapers. Charlie bought one from him and told me that he buys one from him every time he saw him, which really shows what kind of person he is. And he still does that to this day. Then I went to meet Rey, and immediately knew I was in trouble. I have fallen in love with this dog. I was very hesitant for a very long time, not willing to give all of myself to anyone. But there was something about Charlie that cracked away any doubt, piece by piece. He also loved my cat almost as much as I did, which definitely helped.