As all good love stories begin, ours starts with a match made on Facebook dating. Once the match was made on 5/21/22 we started chatting online. About five questions into chatting, Josh asked me if I was involved in church and at that moment, I knew this was going to be different! We chatted about our involvement in church, and discovered that Josh served on the production team while I served in the 2 year old class in the kids ministry. Imagine our surprise when we discovered we attended THE SAME CHURCH! Who says God doesn't have a sense of humor! We were both serving the next morning and decided to meet to say hello before the first service started. According to me, the meeting was ok, but Josh did not seem very interested. In Josh's version, it went well. He was very interested just scared to death! We both talked after the service some more and decided to meet that evening at Drake's for drinks. On 5/22/22 we had our very first date and have not looked back since! In early July, Josh introduced me to Ben (12) and Delaney (8) at his neighborhood pool. The afternoon was fun and everyone seemed to get along well. By September, Josh was invited to help with the Annual Danny Patton Golf Scholarship Tournament. He spent the day helping set up, riding around the course on the beverage cart with me, and cleaning up after the event. After the tournament there's always a brief amount of downtime before an after party dinner and gathering. This is the day Josh first told me he loved me. He actually started by saying "I like you - like a lot a lot", and then followed that with "I mean I love you". In true Tara fashion, I had to be a bit of a smarty pants and said "I like you a lot a lot too". Before Josh had time to feel bad, I told him I loved him too! Between then and now, there have been trips to St. Louis to meet Josh's family, sightsee, and go to a Cardinals' game, trips to Myrtle Beach, Disney, Lake Lure, Boone/Banner Elk, Gatlinburg, Ohio, and several others. There have been family gatherings, celebrations, date nights, and there has also been sadness. Through it all, we have been there for one another. Cheering each other on, celebrating successes big and small, and wiping each others tears. On August 24, 2024 we spent the day at an art festival in downtown Graham, and then went to dinner that evening at Red Bowl. After dinner, Josh drove to the Heart of Downtown sculpture and proposed in front of an enthusiastic crowd at The Mini Dingo bar! After we shared the news with family, the wedding planning began and now here we are, sharing our love story with you! We can't wait to officially start our lives together and are so thankful you are a part of our story! Love, Tara and Josh