We’re getting married! Save the date!

I didn’t expect much when I matched with Jason on Bumble that summer of 2023. Honestly, I wasn’t really looking for a relationship — just someone to chat with. When he first asked me out, he joked, “Nothing more spontaneous than the random Bumble boy taking you out for your birthday.” Turns out, our first date did land on my 23rd birthday — and that joke was just the beginning of how easy and real things felt with him. We met at Huroc Park in Flat Rock, and what was supposed to be a quick first date turned into hours of walking and talking. It was easy. Comfortable. Like I’d known him longer than just a few exchanged messages. From that day on, parks became our thing. Almost every day that summer, we found a new one to explore — wandering trails, sharing snacks, catching sunsets. Somewhere between all those walks and quiet conversations, I started to realize that this wasn’t just something casual. Time slowed down when we were together. Around him, I didn’t have to try so hard — I could just be me. Then came September. Jason was leaving for Army basic training, and that goodbye came way too fast. Before he left, he looked at me and said, “I love you.” It caught me off guard — not because I didn’t feel it too, but because of how sure and steady he was when he said it. That moment stuck with me. Even with the distance, we stayed close. We wrote letters. We had our Sunday phone calls. And with every one of them, our connection grew stronger — not just in the romantic, butterflies kind of way, but in the kind of way that builds trust, depth, and something real. I drove to Georgia to see him graduate, and that’s when I finally said it back. Looking back now, I think about how far we’ve come — from a swipe, to a park, to love that’s weathered distance, change, and growth. There’s a line in a song we both love that goes, “Now you’re my whole life, now you’re my whole world.” And I get it — because every season we’ve been through has only shown me more reasons to love him. Funny thing is, I thought I loved him then.

When I first saw Jessica’s profile on Bumble, I honestly thought she was fake. Too pretty, too put together — there had to be a catch. Still, I swiped right, figuring it couldn’t hurt. I didn’t expect much. But that one swipe ended up changing everything. We met at Huroc Park that summer, and right away, I knew she was real — not just in the obvious way, but in the way she listened, laughed, and made everything feel lighter. What was supposed to be a short first date turned into hours of talking and walking. It felt easy, like something I didn’t know I’d been missing. From then on, we started spending nearly every day together, finding new parks, new trails, new pieces of each other. That summer felt like it belonged just to us. The world got quiet when we were together. I remember thinking, “This is it. This is the kind of peace people spend years looking for.” But the clock was ticking. I had Army basic training coming up in the fall, and saying goodbye was harder than I ever expected. Before I left, I told her I loved her — not because it was the perfect moment or some big romantic gesture, but because I couldn’t leave without her knowing. Those next few months? They weren’t easy. Basic training breaks you down — physically, mentally, in every way. But every letter she sent, every phone call we managed to fit in, kept me going. She probably doesn’t even realize it, but there were days her words were the only thing that pushed me through. She believed in me when I didn’t have much left in the tank. She gave me something to fight for beyond the uniform. When she drove all the way to Georgia to see me graduate, I knew — she was it. That wasn’t just support. That was love, showing up in the truest form. She finally said “I love you” back, but honestly, I already felt it in everything she’d done leading up to that moment. There’s a line in a song that’s always stuck with me — “I remember, trying not to stare the night that I first met you, you had me mesmerized…” — and that’s exactly how it feels looking back. Everything since has only made me more sure. I thought I loved her then. But now? I know what love really looks like — and it’s her, standing by me every step of the way.