Let's Get Married!

As told by Laura... As I swiped through the endless sea of dating profiles on Hinge during the pandemic, I couldn't help but wonder if I would ever find someone who would fit into my life perfectly. That's when I came across Forrest's profile, and I was captivated by his bright eyes, quirky prompt responses, and of course his dog, Everest. We started chatting, and I was happy to discover that he not only was interested in meeting me, but the Hinge algorithm actually labeled our profiles as "most compatible." We had planned to meet up several times, but each time something came up, and we had to cancel. During the start of the pandemic, planning outdoor dates in the middle of the winter was... difficult. I joked that the universe was conspiring against us, but Forrest reminded me that the dating app had labeled us "compatible" and when the robots take over the world they'll be very disappointed that we didn't meet. Finally, we decided to have a Facetime call, just to see if we had any real chemistry. As I set up my cellphone for the call, I couldn't help but wonder if I was going to look as cute as my profile pictures. Spoiler alert: Forrest was way cuter than his pictures. Typical man. When the call finally started, we talked for hours, laughing at each other's jokes and sharing stories. When we finally met in person at the Greenville Zoo, I was nervous, but I was also excited to finally meet the man behind the Facetime. As we walked around the zoo, I felt the nerves fade away. I think we both felt pretty strongly that our date shouldn't end only after a few hours at the Zoo, so Forrest suggested a trip to a nearby brewery for beers and queso after he went home to pick up his COVID dog, Everest. On our very first date I got to meet the cute dog from the Hinge profile. If you've had the pleasure of meeting Everest in person, you know he doesn't warm up to strangers easily. I like the think Everest wanted to show Forrest his approval of me early on. Leaving that night, I couldn't help but feel grateful that I had swiped right on him, and that the universe had finally stopped conspiring against us. But in the end, it was all worth it because I found my forever person in Forrest... and Everest... and Everest's new sister Emerald. As told by Forrest... I like to say we meet the ol’ fashioned way. Dating apps. It was peak covid and the world was spiraling into societal collapse due to a toilet paper shortage. I didn’t want to witness the end of humanity alone and fortunately Hinge recommended Laura to me. It took a few months before we finally met in person but once we had that first date I instantly knew Laura was the one. Even though she didn’t know what a delicatessen was, I’ve been able to look past that and see her for the incredible person she is. Everest is a fan too which is a solid endorsement.