For those new to the story, I was a little bored and lonely living in Atlanta at the start of covid circa March ‘20. I grabbed a bag, my work computer, and off I went back to my parents’ home in northern VA to work remotely and spend some time visiting. After some encouragement from my college girlfriends, I got on Hinge to take advantage of being in a new city in hopes I’d meet my prince charming. I went on dates, tried new cocktails, and put miles on my car driving up to dreaded DC where I panicked every time I had to street park in the city. Then I matched with Nick. Transparently, I wasn’t thrilled about a Marine initially because I grew up in that community, but I wanted to see what he was about. I had exchanged a few messages with him and knew I didn’t want to keep him waiting too long so we arranged plans to meet up for drinks at a bar on the river in Occoquan. I strolled in, saw his blue flannel Patagonia waiting for me at the bar, and was happy he matched his pictures. Two drinks in and two hours of constant playful conversation later we left the bar. A few days later we met up for margaritas at a local Mexican spot where I inhaled jalapeno seeds and embarrassingly tried to hold back tears from streaming down my face. It was a great second date to me (minus the part where I almost died via spicy margarita) and I remember telling my mom and sisters I liked him and would go out with him again but wasn’t sure with the timing of Christmas. For those that Hinge, holidays are usually quiet, and things more easily fizzle out. He continued to text me, and I actually picked Nick up from the airport after he visited his family in Michigan (after multiple delays, ice issues, and lost baggage that delta had to deliver the following day). We had a few blizzard type days that kept us apart and during a ft Nick dropped the g word (girlfriend). He quickly met the fam, my DC friends, and the rest is history as they say. Glad I took the leap to go out with this frog and now he is forever stuck with a passenger princess. See you in April! Once upon a time, In the National Capital Region (NCR), a youngish Marine Captain was living his best life while studying to become a better warfighter. While residing in the magical land of the NCR, he decided to try his luck in finding his one true love, so he downloaded Hinge and started swiping away. Through his scrolling and swiping, he came across the profile of a girl so stunning he could scarcely believe it! And when he swiped right to his joy, it was a match! But now his anxiety took hold of him; what would he say for his opening line? He combed through her profile for some clever thing to say to have a chance to catch her attention. Then he found it; a joke about Wawa’s superiority to Sheetz would do just the trick. And so the youngish Captain floated a clever line out there and conversed with the beautiful young Lass! However, much to the Captain’s dismay, his conversation suddenly stopped. He chalked it up to a loss and continued with his life. Then, one fateful November night, his phone went off, and it was a message from the beautiful Lass! He quickly arranged a date so he could finally meet her. While sitting at the bar, he ordered a stiff drink to calm his nerves. He received a text that she was walking in. When he turned to the entrance, he felt his heart skip when he saw her walking towards him. From that moment on, he was done. From spending time to moving in, it was heir apparent to the Captain that this was the one he had waited for his whole life. So, as they moved across the country together, he began to use his planning skills to strategize how to propose. After a thorough route reconnaissance in Hawaii, he found the perfect spot. Working with the beautiful Lass’ two sisters, he developed a rigorous deception plan and convinced her to say “YES!” Now they’re blessed with each other and the chance to celebrate their wedding with you in Lexington, KY. See you there and Semper Fi!