本篇故事由 Oliver 与 Grace 共同撰写，曾刊登于我们在美国的婚礼手册中。 p/s 此版本已略作修改以反映我们目前近况。

Sunday, September 17, 2023: One swipe, and before long, Grace began messaging Oliver. We had similar interests and both listed that we were interested in singing.  “I want to believe you can sing, but I have a hunch you don’t…?” Oliver was several years out of practice, having left the UK's School of Music in 2014, but it's funny to think this is how it all began. We quickly discovered we had both studied with the same voice teacher and subsequently we messaged for nearly six hours. Late into the evening, we resolved to meet at the end of the week. * * * We met at liminal times in both of our lives. Grace, a Chinese-Malaysian student, was a Junior at the University of Kentucky, studying Vocal Music. Meanwhile, Oliver, California-born and Kentucky-raised, was retraining at UK Healthcare, transitioning from a Nurse Care Technician to a Certified Pharmacy Technician. Oliver, feeling a boost of confidence from his success in his pharmacy training, decided to put himself out there and made a dating profile on the Bumble app. Grace, yearning for a deeper emotional connection, wanted to try Bumble and see if she could meet a new friend in person.  During our first date, we chatted over dinner at local restaurant Pasta Garage, followed by a bit of nearby geocaching, and ending with live music and drinks at the barcade The Burl. Sure, we learned about each other over the course of the evening, but by the time that first date closed, more than anything, we became effortlessly comfortable with each other. We could be playful. We could just be ourselves. We could see into each other’s eyes and knew we wanted to see where this would go. 

Over the next two years, we both grew and weathered many hardships together. Grace worked tirelessly to finish her degree while finding her footing as a burgeoning professional musician. After pursuing several part-time jobs and side gigs, and despite her visa restrictions, she started working as a staff singer at First Presbyterian Church in downtown Lexington. Meanwhile, Oliver studied and successfully passed his Pharmacy Technician Certification Board exam. Shortly after, he found his current job at UK Healthcare’s Specialty Pharmacy, where he’s thrived in a fast paced and supportive environment. While working full-time, he also began taking online classes to finally finish his undergraduate studies. January 2025, we flew to New York City to renew Grace’s passport. In the months prior, Oliver found the determination to propose to her, and popped the question the day after arriving. Grace immediately thought “yes!”, but fear also gnawed at her. They’d supported each other immensely up until now, but could they make this work? No matter the obstacles, Grace knew what she wanted deep down, so her mouth gave her heart a voice. We eloped as Spring came to a close and began the arduous process of assembling Grace’s green card application, taking four months time to assemble.

After months of planning finances and logistics, Grace and Oliver had their marriage convalidation at Mary Queen of the Holy Rosary Catholic Church in December 2025. We feel blessed to have been able to exchange vows in the eyes of God, as well as friends and family. The following week, Oliver also walked across the graduation stage and received his undergraduate degree. With months of preparation under our belts and a successful interview, Grace received her Green Card in late March 2026. The last several months have borne the fruits of our labor and our love. We are continuing to look off toward our future as we slowly transition into our independent married life together this year. * * * Finding love has always been a difficult prospect for us to grasp, yet somehow we both found each other despite being born on opposite sides of the world. Was it destiny or just the Bumble algorithm? Who knows. All we do know is that we each found a person we can call our best friend. How many more trials do we have ahead of us? Only God knows, but we’ve grown and overcome so much since we’ve been together, so we know we’re with the person we want to spend eternity with. This is just the beginning for us two crazy lovebirds. We’ll keep faith as we walk hand in hand.