The beginning of forever

We swiped right — and the rest was history. Okay, kidding… kind of. Yes, we did meet on a dating app (as taboo as that might be to admit). We matched on August 9, 2024, and by August 20th we were on our first date. That first date turned into four hours of nonstop talking at a ramen restaurant. So long, in fact, that the staff had to politely remind us they were closing. From the very beginning, it felt easy. Like talking to someone we’d known our whole lives. We just clicked. By August 29th, we made it official. The “will you be my girlfriend?” conversation happened over FaceTime in the most clumsy — I mean smooth — way possible. By the grace of God, Layna said yes. For the next year, we made the journey back and forth between our families’ homes. Somewhere between late-night car conversations, countless ramen dinners, and hours of heated debate over which Spider-Man is the best, we fell deeply in love — not just with each other, but with each other’s families too. Most importantly, we became best friends. We knew early on that we wanted to spend our lives together, but we also knew we weren’t quite ready yet. We were both still living at home and wanted to wait until the timing was truly right. When I finally managed to afford a shoebox condo in Roswell, I knew it was time to ask her to marry me… …but Layna beat me to it. On October 25, 2025, we took a trip to the highest point in Georgia. Everything that could go wrong did. The crowds were massive, it took two hours just to reach the parking lot, and Layna was stressed the entire time. Little did I know that the ring was burning a hole in her bag. I had my suspicions, but after walking around for what felt like forever with nothing happening, I gave up hope. Then we turned a corner — and there was the photographer. She asked me to marry her. I don’t remember much after that (I blacked out), but apparently, I said yes since I ended the day with a beautiful ring on my finger. What she didn’t know was that I had ordered her ring months earlier. It just hadn’t arrived yet. A few weeks later, once it finally came in, I told her we were taking family pictures. I even scoped out the perfect proposal spot during a “casual hike” the week before. When she saw the photographer, she burst out laughing and said, “You got me.” I remember my proposal much more clearly (I had rehearsed it for days). I chose a spot in Roswell, the place where our first home together is. I told her that wherever she was, that was home — and that I didn’t want to spend a single day of my life without her in it. By the grace of God, she said yes again. Now, we’re counting down the days until July 10, 2026, when we get to begin our next chapter surrounded by the people we love most and celebrate the greatest adventure of all: choosing each other, every day, forever.