We met on Hinge! Yes, an online dating app! Believe it or not, almost 1/3 of marriages nowadays start through a dating app...the world is changing. Ha! *Groom Perspective* One day, while scrolling through countless accounts to find my potential wife, I received a notification that someone liked my Hinge profile. I immediately tapped on the notification to find an absolutely stunning, breathtaking profile of a young woman named Emily. Although shocked someone this pretty was on an online dating site and not already taken, I jumped at the opportunity to message her. Before I knew it, and I'm talking a short two days, we met at the delicious Doc B's Restaurant and Bar in Austin, TX. Pumped with excitement and slightly sweaty armpits from all the nerves, I stumbled across the lovely Emily in the parking garage right outside of Doc B's. She was on the phone with her best friend, Tierra (whom we call "T"), talking about how she did not want to go on this date. ....Yes, when I found out about the contents of their conversation months after we became official, I was apauled!!!! Haha. But, once I learned the reason (...50+ dates with, let's just say, immature men), I can understand the hesitancy. Anyway, we walked inside the restaurant and had the most wonderful conversation about a diverse range of topics. One of the things we both love doing is discussing controversial subjects; so, we had numerous subjects to choose from. This date was one of the first times I heard someone be able to back up their opinions with great morals/ethics while providing extensive supportive data. To this day, I am blown away by how her brain can coterminously analyze problems holistically while also getting down into the weeds of each small nuance that affects the situation. Everyone who knows me, knows I love people who can formulate their OWN INFORMED opinions. Toward the end of the dinner, neither one of us wanted to leave each other quite yet. We decided to take a stroll down Rock Rose Avenue in the Domain while continuing conversations about controversial subjects. One memory I can't stop thinking about is how we ended up walking near a darker road that didn't appear to have many people on it and Emily says to me, "Hey...can we turn around and go back to where there are more lights and people. I don't really know you that well.." Completely insulted yet interestingly proud of her intuition, I immediately sucked up my pride and turned us right around. That night, I remember laying in bed thinking about how anyone could think I'd have any malicious bone in my body!! Haha. But I will say, that made her stand out from all of my other dates by having great situational awareness in real time. Couple that with the fact she didn't give me her phone number right away, I knew she was a keeper. I remember thinking to myself...WOW, she is gorgeous/cute/pretty/beautiful AND smart?!?! I started losing faith that it was possible to find someone like that!!!! From then on, we have been stuck to each other like white on rice. <3 ...I think I told her I loved her within the first month of dating...That's how you know it's real!!

That’s right! We met on Hinge. I always joke around by saying he was EXPENSIVE because you know your girl had the premium subscription so I could adjust filters to find the RIGHT ONE and man, was it worth it. After scrolling through countless men, going on countless dates, and getting discouraged countless times, I came across the perfect companion, best friend, other half, husband, and soulmate. I responded to a riveting prompt on Hinge: “Let’s debate this topic - Turtlenecks are back in style”. After going back and forth on it, we decided that we will probably spend the rest of our lives trying to convince the other that they are or aren’t, which neither of us suspected that’s actually what we would be doing. He then asked, “when can I take you out to dinner?” And to play it coy and elusive, I slowly (5 minutes later) responded with…“Tomorrow”. “Tomorrow” So excited yet SO fearful for another first date but not with the right one, I pulled into the garage while on FaceTime with T definitely psyching myself out. There were so many “why”s that I was trying to figure out. For example, why is this extremely attractive, fit, successful, and social man still single? And WHY is he on the apps??? After T shared some wise words and advice to build confidence, I saw him coming down the stairs looking for me! When I saw him with his happy eyes and big smile, I felt an immediate wave of comfort that I get to experience every day, to this day. When I say this was the BEST FIRST DATE EVERRRR, I’m not just saying that because I have to. We talked about EVERYTHING and he easily kept up with my thought process bouncing from subject to subject. He wasn’t trying to put on a face, he spoke from his heart, he listened, he was kind to everyone he came in contact with, and he was interested in the conversation. He IS truly captivating. A big memory I have was asking him if he was a health nut and counted calories etc. and he said no. He likes healthy food but eats a lot of anything (and boy he was right). He just kept getting better and better. After he talked me into ordering the Chicken Parmesan, he proceeded to order a SaLaD!! He swears it’s because he “jUsT rEaLlY LiKeS SaLaD” which I can see now! But back then I was thinking, “I really just ordered pasta with breaded and deep fried chicken with cheese plopped on top of it…hopefully it’s a very demure portion”…nope…the waiter came out with an entree the size of my head…I was shocked. I ended up figuring, he might as well know now that his future girl can EAT too! We were so engrossed in our conversation filled with so many topics, laughs, and shocking facts about ourselves, we looked around and realized that we were the last ones in the restaurant!!! We decided to take it outside haha he walked and held my leftovers (no, I didn’t make it through the meal) while I skipped down the street and continued talking. I was having the time of my life with him! He then walked me back to my car and revealed the shocking news: His first name is actually Anthony and his middle name is Christian!!! After this date, the texts and facetimes started flooding in on both ends. It started with an Asian driver meme from Family Guy and is still going strong. After our second date at the gym then food afterwards, that’s when I KNEW this man was going to stick around. We saw each other every single day from January 19 except for the time I was out of town for 4 days. We easily became each others’ best friend. Naturally growing and learning each other, I found myself falling in love with who he was, how he handles situations, his morals, and his personality (let’s not forget how good looking he is). Every day I get even more in awe of how he carries himself, speaks to and treats others, his motivation, empathy, kindness, morals, values, and strength and I knew early on that I needed to LOCK THIS MAN DOWNNNNNN!!!! -The status on that will be updated on February 20, 2025.-