We met at a church conference in 2019, but only met initially and didn't talk further. During Covid, we started texting and became friends online after our initial meeting at the conference. Joey lives in MI, and Emily lives in NC. In August of 2020, Joey's family came to vacation in OBX. When Joey told Emily that they were coming to NC, they convinced their families to meet up in Winston-Salem for dinner on their way back to MI. At the dinner, Joey and Emily got to connect more and our families became greater friends. As they talked more, the spark was definitely there and they became best friends. In November of 2020, Joey asked Emily to be his girlfriend. On December 13, 2024, he asked her to marry him and be together forever & always.