Online. No further questions. Just kidding. We did meet through Hinge, which has not responded to our requests to sponsor the ceremony (yet). Our first date was The Soda Parlor (R.I.P.) in East Nashville, which was a stand out choice for 2 reasons: (1) Ben is lactose-intolerant. Yet, he boldly ordered a milkshake in some sort of daring show of bravado. (2) One of his best friends worked next door, and happened to "accidentally" drop in on our date. Ben claimed it was by chance, but I still suspect otherwise... It was a wonderful first date. I told Ben as much, to his delight, and we planned a second date. And then a third. Before too long, we were a "thing," which meant I had to tell my family his last name. There's only so long you can hold back the CSI team that is my sisters. Thankfully, they grew to love him too (stunted only briefly by the break up in September). As an over-thinker, uncertainty is always part of any decision. But marrying Ben has been one of the easiest decisions of my life.

I was ready to call the dating app Hinge quits after a few dead-end dates. I was ready to drop everything and move to the Himalayas to become a monk and take a vow of celibacy, because that seemed to be my fate. Might as well lean into it, right? WRONG. I was giving Hinge one last try, and Katie's profile pops up on my screen as a recommended pick. One of her prompts said that she was a dungeon master for not one, but TWO Dungeons & Dragons campaigns. Color me intrigued. We started a conversation on the app, and I quickly realized that I needed to meet this girl in person. So I asked her on a date to The Soda Parlor, where I was instantly smitten. There were serious butterflies, and not just because I was a lactose-intolerant person drinking a soda float on a first date. It was apparent right away that Katie was kind, inquisitive, thoughtful, and fun. Oh, and hot. I cannot stress enough how hot she is. I knew that I needed to see her again, so I asked her on a second date. Then a third. Then after the fifth we were "official," as the youths say. Almost our entire relationship has been during the COVID pandemic, but I'm so glad I had Katie by my side during the year that nobody will ever forget. After a brief breakup last summer, our relationship was stronger than ever, and I knew without a doubt that I was going to marry Katie. She is my absolute favorite! I pulled out all the stops and wrote an original rap song for the proposal, and as you can see, it actually worked :)