Some might say that we met in an unconventional manner... It all starts back in the fall of 2022 when Johnny applied for a blind date through "Stranger Sessions" by McCaffry Photography. These are blind dates set up by photographers who match individuals based on an in-depth series of questions and background checks to confirm compatibility. You must agree up-front to keep this secret before the date itself and you go into a blind date knowing nothing about the other person... there is even an expectation to kiss this total stranger on camera. To qualify for a date, you must live within 3 hours of the Lafayette/Crawfordsville area. Well, after a few months of applications and conversations with Lindsey, the owner and main photographer, there were just no good matches coming in for Johnny. They knew he'd be great, but were stuck in a waiting and holding pattern for his perfect blind date match. Meanwhile, in my corner of the world, we had just come out of the holiday season and my best friend, Kendra, sent me a link and encouraged me to sign up for a potential "Stranger Session" date. I told her I thought it was "a little sketchy but worth a shot." So I filled out the application, not thinking that much would come of it... at least not too quickly. Well, just four days later I got a text from Lindsey asking me to do a Zoom interview because she thought she had a match for me! We Zoomed the next day and scheduled the date for two weeks later. This was to be McCaffry Photography's 50th Stranger Session photoshoot. I was eager but beyond nervous! I knew it would be a fun memory no matter what, a unique way to meet a guy, and an exciting way to get out of my comfort zone. And to say Kendra was thrilled would be an understatement... what some may not know is that I played a pretty big role in getting Kendra and her husband (my first cousin) together over a decade ago. Kendra was hoping she could "return the favor." So Johnny and I went about preparing for our date, knowing nothing about each other. Lindsey kept telling each of us in the weeks leading up to it how alike we already were... How we would text her about the same things or think similar thoughts. We were the closest-living dates to one another in proximity and we had some mutual friends on social media. She was worried we already knew each other! We had to coordinate our outfits so that we wouldn't clash in the photos, of course, so Lindsey had to be the middleman for that. It seemed like she had a *feeling* about us before we even met. The date was held at Outrage Smash Therapy in Lafayette. On the day of the date, we had agreed to have our first kiss with the blindfolds still on. I will never forget the rush that I felt when I knew that Johnny had walked into the room (I didn't even know his name yet). Emotions and tensions were high, to say the least! In the most exciting way! Lindsey and Josie posed us for the kiss... and then it happened. Fireworks! And suddenly the nerves just melted away and a flood of peace and comfort came in. We took the blindfolds off and made our introductions. (Big smiles all around) Johnny presented me with flowers he had gotten me and we went on with the rest of the date. We shared many laughs and kisses - it was one of the most memorable nights I have ever experienced. We both left Outrage completely drenched in blacklight paint but with new contacts in our phones (each other). We texted a whole bunch that night and decided that we should have our second date the next night. On our second date, Johnny took me to dinner. We came back to my house and talked for hours about anything and everything in the world. I couldn't believe how comfortable I felt with this new person. We had our third date the following day. On that date, Johnny met my parents and we FaceTimed his mom... that night Johnny asked me to be his girlfriend. And as they say... the rest is history! <3