"This is my beloved and this is my friend." Song of Solomon 5:16

Jessica: When I met Chris, it had been a good ten years since I'd dated, but I'd been inspired by my friend to give a dating app a real try. One night, my phone buzzed with a notification. To be honest, nothing in this guy's profile was particularly grabbing me, but I was in a good mood--having just spent an evening watching The Great British Baking Show--and I thought, "Why not?" So I swiped. Our first date happened mostly because I was aghast at what Chris thought boba was (no, popping bubbles are not the real deal!) and felt this boy needed to learn better. I was pleasantly surprised that our conversation flowed smoothly into real life, not skipping a beat. Little did I know that in just a handful of days he would be showing up to fix my car, coupon in hand for a new alternator. There was something unexpectedly sweet about this guy (not to mention thrifty!), and I thought, "Hmm, this may be a keeper." Chris: Couch. Netflix. Hinge. Ready to give up on online dating, I had deleted all apps but one. I saw a picture of Jessica sitting at a table full of food and immediately hit the heart button. That was September 19, the night we first messaged. Our conversation took off from anything about food to how our day was going, to simply getting to know each other. I worked up the courage to ask for her number, and we continued to talk until we finally went on our first date. I tried to impress her by taking her to a vegan place (not my normal go-to). I sat in my car, waiting for her text, when I caught a glimpse of her walking by. Nervous, I took some deep breaths and got out to meet the girl who would become my fiance. Later, when she decided to take the jump and build a computer so we could play video games together, I was smitten. Since then, we have traveled, she has helped me grow spiritually and responsibly, and I've also learned what real Asian food is. This is all in less than two years! I can’t wait to see what the future holds with her by my side.

Toward the end of the year last year, Chris was getting ready to propose. He even showed a ring to Jessica's friend at a Christmas party. Everything was proceeding according to plan. He was getting ready to buy a plane ticket to ask Jessica's dad for his blessing, when, not even a week later, the country shut down. So he waited. As the weeks passed, things weren't getting better. Eventually, he decided to do it over video. Once he'd spoken to Jessica's dad, he felt ready. He wanted to take her somewhere really special to make a big show of just how much she meant to him. But, as he waited to see if things would start opening up, the months continued to pass and he realized that just wasn't going to happen. So he went with Plan B. He enlisted one of Jessica's friends to trick her into going to the restaurant where they'd gone on their first date. The restaurant was opening up outdoor porch dining, so it could be a girl's lunch out after a long time of not seeing each other. When Jessica asked him if it was okay for her to go back to their first-date restaurant without him, he even feigned jealousy she was getting to go. As the day approached, Chris got Jessica's friend to casually mention she was thinking of wearing a sundress, which made Jessica decide to do the same. When the time came, Chris, dressed in his best suit, pulled into the parking lot and waited in what he was pretty sure was the same spot he'd parked in for their first date. When Jessica's friend brought her out to him, he was nervous but did his best to translate the words he had been practicing in his head to explain what Jessica and these last almost two years had meant to him. Then he went down on one knee and waited for her reply. She said YES!!! After the initial excitement (and many photos), they toasted the day with boba tea, reliving their first date to a T. It wasn't the proposal Chris had thought it would be, but it was just as memorable.