Like so many these days, Emily and I first "met" thru an online dating app. I remember what caught my attention from her profile was how genuine she came across: looking for silly adventures and not interested in glam make-up, living for social media, or living by other people's expectations. Well getting to know the real Emily did not disappoint. In one of our first conversations, before we'd met in person or even spoken on the phone, she started talking about road tripping across the country. So we talked about driving to places she'd never been, like the Grand Canyon, Chicago, etc., and joked about living the RV life. But those early conversations weren't all about grand adventures. We talked about everything: work, family, politics, religion...and while we didn't (and don't) agree on everything, there wasn't a single topic that we couldn't have fun talking about. And a few weeks later when my grandfather passed away, Emily was the first person I opened up to about it, even though we still hadn't even met in person. When we finally got around to making plans to meet in person for a date, we of course gravitated towards some type of outdoor adventure. We ended up with plans for a hike at Reedy Creek Park...or so I thought. It wasn't long after we made our date plans, that I got an anxiety ridden text from Emily, apologizing that she couldn't do it right now, that dating just seemed like too much, and she understood if I didn't want to talk anymore. I didn't know at the time, but she was having a particularly tough year at work, and the idea of one more unknown (me) just seemed like too much to handle. She expected that to be the end of our "relationship." How I responded has turned out to be one of the best decisions of my life. We were having such fun and meaningful conversations, that seemed to flow so naturally, and I wasn't ready to let go. So I said "don't worry, its ok. I'm having fun getting to know you, so why don't we just be friends?" It didn't take much longer for us to make plans again to meet in person, this time as friends, and not a date. That first meet ended up with us laughing hysterically as we sung along to the soundtracks of The Little Mermaid, Aladdin, and a couple other Disney classics. I loved (and still do) having her as a friend. Over the next few weeks we got to know each other better as we shared mini golf, art festivals, kayaking, and more. But after a few weeks, I had to put it all on the table. Over a casual dinner one day in April 2022, I told Em: "If all you want is friendship, I'm here for that, and I love being your friend. But I want more, and if you're willing, I'd like to see where this can go." Typical Em, there was no immediate decision. She was interested, but also nervous. In fact it was a few days before she figured out what she wanted. Also typical for Em, I got my answer in a text: "I'm all in." Since then, we've gone back and forth between who was pulling who forward to the next step. Sometimes she was out front, telling me "I love you" first, and it was ok if I wasn't ready to say it back yet, because she knew. Sometimes it was me out front, like when I told her I wanted us to be married. And sometimes it's a fun mix, like when I wanted to move in together and Emily came back with a way faster timeline that I had imagined. But regardless, I know we will always be moving forward. I've never met anyone else I can be so open and honest with, and who knows me so intimately, in all my quirky detail. I can't wait to spend my life with this woman!