Liam first heard about Anna through his college buddy, Ethan, who had gone to high school with her back in North Carolina. Every time her name came up, he had nothing but good things to say. Coincidentally, a youth pastor that was hired at Liam’s church in Colorado just happened to be a part of Anna’s extended family. Pastor Johnathan spoke highly of her strong family and personal character. Between his conversations with Ethan and Johnathan, Liam had no choice but to stalk her on social media and gather more intel. Even though Anna lived over 1,600 miles away in Concord, North Carolina and they had never met, Liam decided to take a chance. In June of 2023, he took the longest shot of his life and sent her a text. Liam was completely surprised when she actually responded! They started talking every day, calling, texting, and getting to know each other. After a couple of weeks, Liam explained that he and his two buddies (Ethan and Ethan) were planning a road trip in July along the East Coast. He said that they planned to pass through North Carolina and offered this as a good time to meet each other if Anna were to be free. Again to his surprise, Anna agreed to meet that weekend. Although Liam and his buddies had indeed planned a road trip that summer, stopping at Ethan’s house in North Carolina for Liam to meet Anna was never actually a part of the original route. Nonetheless, Liam planned a couple dates in hopes that all would go well. Their first date included watching fireworks in the small town of Cramerton which was sweet but short lived. Although it was a little bit awkward, Liam and Anna decided to commit to a second date. The following day, Liam decided to double down and bring Anna flowers when he picked her up for their dinner date at the Goodyear House. Not long into the evening, both Liam and Anna felt that conversation was flowing easier and that they were beginning to learn more about each other. As they spent time laughing and sharing childhood memories, they quickly discovered how much they had in common—faith, family, and a shared vision for the future. They finished out the date by grabbing ice cream at Jeni’s and making a pit stop at the Charlotte Motor Speedway where Liam spilled the beans to Anna about the real reason he came to North Carolina. Anna was shocked, to say the least, but was delighted to hear of Liam’s true intentions. Their second date actually went so well that Liam asked Anna out on a third one just a few hours before he had to leave for the airport the next day. Liam even joked to Ethan that weekend, “I’m going to marry Anna Steele.” Over the next few months, they took turns flying across the country, meeting each other’s families, and building something real. Long distance hasn’t always been easy, but it’s been worth every flight, drive, phone call and facetime. Now, they can’t wait to finally close the distance and start their forever together.