We are getting Married!

We met on a dating app called Upward. At the time, he lived in Sherman, Texas and I was all the way down in Spring, Texas. We exchanged numbers in November of 2021, but we didn’t really start talking until December. I remember feeling so nervous about meeting him or even letting our conversations go any deeper. Back then, I was a single mom to two boys, and my heart was guarded. I had been through enough to know that letting someone in meant risking being hurt again. On January 7th 2022, he arrived with flowers in his hands and wearing a blue suit, knowing that blue is my favorite color. Every detail had been thought out. Earlier he had asked me what my dream date was, and he remembered. He took me slow dancing in front of headlights, just like something out of a movie and that was my dream date. In that moment, under those lights with music playing softly and the world feeling still around us, it felt like time slowed down. For the first time in a long time, my guarded heart felt safe. He met my boys, and I watched the way he interacted with them—so naturally, so kindly—and in that moment something in my heart softened. I just knew there was something special about him. After that, he took me to dinner and then to an interactive art museum. Every part of the night felt intentional, like he truly wanted to create something meaningful just for us. He had his own nerves too—but for a different reason. He was worried I might be catfishing him. The truth, though, was much simpler. I was just scared. Scared to trust again. Scared to open my life, and my boys’ lives, to someone new. He had driven five hours just to see me, knowing he would only get to spend a few hours with me before making that same five-hour drive back home late that night, only to wake up the next morning and go to work. That kind of effort spoke volumes about the kind of man he was. And he didn’t just show up—he made the whole night magical. Looking back now, that night was the beginning of something neither of us could have fully understood at the time. What started with nervous messages and guarded hearts slowly turned into a story filled with love, effort, and the kind of moments you carry with you forever. Not long after, he asked me to be his girlfriend—but of course, he didn’t do it in an ordinary way. He had 3D-printed puzzle pieces and placed them inside a box with the verse 1 Corinthians 13:4–8, a reminder of what real love looks like. Inside the box were little pieces of our story—dates marking our first kiss, the theme of our first date labeled “Dream” for the dream date he had made come true. Each piece represented a moment that had brought us closer together. Then he handed me a card that said, “Will you be my girlfriend?” Along with it was one final puzzle piece—the one that marked the moment he asked me to be his. Piece by piece, he was showing me that our story was something beautiful we were building together. And from that moment on, the rest was history.