While on a trip to Georgia to see her friend Yanet, Sandra and her friends Yanet and Wendy decided to play a game. They all installed the dating app Bumble and started having some laughs around who they could meet there. Sandra in particular didn't take it very seriously, but then she matched with Craig. She was immediately taken in by the beautiful dog in his profile photo, and decided to message him. Despite her misgivings about dating apps, over the next few days Craig made quite the impression on her. When she decided that she was done with the app after only a week, she wasn't ready to stop talking to Craig and so she gave him her number.

Craig was persistent, suggesting they meet up several times after Sandra got back to Tampa. Finally she agreed to meet him for coffee. However, that was the day of a tropical storm, something Craig had forgotten about prior to leaving his home. Despite the intense weather, Craig drove all the way across Tampa, risking his life to meet this fascinating woman (note: Sandra disputes the level of risk he took on this day, but Craig insists). To make things more difficult, most places it turned out were closed that night, so the original coffee idea didn't work. Ultimately, they ended up at a Waffle House, obviously the most romantic of first date locations. Despite the mess up until that point, they ended up staying in that Waffle House for several hours, really enjoying getting to know each other.

Craig and Sandra dispute the exact date she officially moved in with him, but both can agree the decision for Sandra to move in was made during their first Valentine's Day dinner together. It took a few weeks for Sandra to fully move into Craig's house, and it was definitely a process getting settled. Nevertheless it wasn't long before she began redecorating, and by that fall Craig's friends would come over and remark "it looks like someone actually lives here now".

Craig and Sandra went on several exciting trips that year, two of which were for weddings. The first trip was to take Sandra to meet Craig's family in New Jersey in June. That was also an opportunity for Craig to take Sandra to New York City, her first ever visit there. He loved watching her reactions to the incredible sights in the city. Next came the first of the weddings, Craig's sister Claire marrying her now-husband Mark. It was a beautiful wedding in New Jersey, and the whole time Craig found himself wondering if it would be his turn soon. Lastly came another wedding, a destination wedding for Craig's good friend Hunter in Rocky Mountain National Park in Colorado. This was the first trip for the two of them to a place neither of them had been before, and both agree that the mountains of Colorado are one of the most beautiful places either of them have ever seen. Craig did find that his asthma did not agree so much with the thin mountain air, but it was an incredible experience they will never forget.

Craig already had a dog before meeting Sandra: the sweet and loving Beagle, Oliver. Sandra always had a deep love of dogs, and possibly only met Craig in the first place because she actually wanted to meet Oliver. They had discussed the possibility of another dog for a long time, but during the trip to Colorado they decided it was time. After much discussion and searching online, they adopted a beautiful Mini Australian Shepherd they named Chloe. Oliver embraced having a new sister immediately, and the house would be filled with the sounds of dogs playing forever after. Chloe, however, turned out to be quite the diva, but that's a story for another time...

By January 2024, Craig had made his decision: he was going to ask Sandra to marry him. With the help of her friend Mary, he picked out a ring and made all the plans for how the proposal would go. When the day finally arrived, however, low and behold it was raining, just like it had on their first date. Still determined to go ahead with it, Craig ended up just getting down on one knee inside of the restaurant. Sandra was overwhelmed, both by the emotion of the moment - and the fact that everyone was looking at them - and it took her a few minutes to respond. She would say yes with a deep kiss, taking their journey together to the next level. This was only the beginning of a weekend of celebration that Craig had planned. The next morning, much to Sandra's surprise, Craig's parents showed up to celebrate with them and welcome her into the family. This was followed by getting together with Sandra's own father and friend Mary who were both equally excited to celebrate the engagement. The whole weekend was an experience neither of the soon-to-be bride and groom would ever forget.

In the midst of planning their wedding, Sandra and Craig took advantage of a work trip Craig had to Last Vegas. He extended his stay and she flew out to join him, turning this trip into an adventure for them both. This was Sandra's first time in Las Vegas, and the week was filled with exploring all the incredible sights intermixed with romantic moments, such as Craig treating Sandra to dinner at the restaurant in the "Eiffel Tower".

From the moment Craig and Sandra met, her immigration process was something the both of them had to deal with. In ways large and small it continuously impacted their lives. Craig would always say to Sandra that he didn't know who would celebrate more the moment she received her Green Card. When she finally got the news, those words proved to be prophetic as the two of them were overwhelmed by the incredible emotion of the moment.

The next chapter in our story...