We’re getting married!

A few weeks into my job at Florida Hospital, my preceptor Anthony, asked if I’d ever been on a blind date. See, Anthony and I worked well together. It was as if we were meant to be friends. So naturally, I answered his question without hesitation with a resounding “No.” Then he proceeded to ask about my personality type etc. Finally, he told me he had a friend, and he thinks we would be a really good match! Of course I was surprised because Anthony had only known me for a few weeks, how could he possibly know my taste in guys, or who would be a good fit for me? In his defense, he said he knew his friend and he really thinks that I would like what I see👀. He wanted to set us up on a blind date, but that plan didn’t work out at the time. So instead he invited me to a Friday night vespers at his house, where I would not only meet “this mystery guy,” but also Anthony’s wife Lindsay and other young people who could be potential friends. Fun part is: Anthony barely told me anything about this guy, not even his name (which was intentional)! He also conveniently didn’t mention anything to the mystery guy at all. I showed up to vespers with my best friend Vee, and her fiance Antonio. It was then that I finally learned his name; “Arthur.” I stepped outside to take a quick call, and I saw a young man coming up the stairs and somehow I knew that this must be him. He smiled and I smiled back and said goodnight as he passed by to go inside. Then I got a text from Vee shortly after that saying “Arthur’s here!” We casually met that night, but I observed him and indeed liked what I saw. Coincidentally, I ended up seeing Arthur the very next day at church and sat next to him too (thanks to Antonio...lol). He was also very sweet and invited me and my friends to lunch, but unfortunately, we couldn’t make it. The next day at work, I told Anthony I wanted to get to know him more, but I had no idea where to go from there. He said “I got you”....and the rest was history!

It was a typical Friday evening, and after a long day of classes and work, I was running behind on my way to vespers at Anthony and Lindsay's place. I finally arrived at the apartment and started to walk up the stairs where I thought I recognized one of Lindsay's bridesmaids from her wedding standing outside on the stairwell. Naturally, I smiled and gave a small greeting but as I walked by I quickly realized that I didn't in fact know the girl on the stairwell. However, that didn't stop her from displaying a beaming smile and replying with a hardy "goodnight." Entering the apartment, I was greeted by both familiar and other new faces, which was common when attending a vespers at the Simon residence. Vespers went as usual but throughout the night I constantly noticed myself paying attention to the girl from the stairwell. She had such a sweet presence and I could tell she had a true love for God and worship. The night ended and we didn't speak much further. It was a pleasant surprise then when I saw her, her best friend, and her best friend's boo at church the next morning. She introduced herself again, "Hi, I'm Lonnie." After church, I felt impressed that I should invite Lonnie and her friends to potluck (this was after I had already left and turned back to invite them). Unfortunately, they couldn't attend but that moment would be one that solidified my peaked interest in this girl from the stairwell. On Sunday, I was hanging out with Anthony and he eventually asked, "what do you think about Lonnie?" I found the question surprising (not knowing that Anthony was scheming all along) and I confessed, "I think she's cute and she seems super sweet." From there, Lonnie and I would see each other at different events but it wasn't until Lonnie sent me a friend request on Facebook, that I later accepted, did we have our first real conversation. After that, it didn't take long before we went on our first date, then a second, and as the saying goes, "the rest is history!"