On July 4th, 2023, I was sitting on the deck of my friend's Airbnb, watching the water and venting about the absolute disaster that modern dating had become. I was pretty much ready to throw in the towel entirely, and then in a moment of "what do I have to lose," I opened Bumble one last time. That's when Adam popped up. Cute enough to make me pause, and just like that, I swiped right. It was an instant match. Feeling bold, I opened with a "Howdy 🤠" (very witty, I know) and got a "Howdy partner" right back. We messaged all day, moved to Snapchat, and somehow ended up on the phone for hours that night. It felt like being a teenager again, staying up way too late talking when I absolutely should have been sleeping. When he asked me to dinner that Friday, I had a better idea: I had two Matchbox 20 tickets (my childhood favorite) and no one to go with. First date? Done. And what a first date it was. He kissed me during one of my favorite songs, after sweetly asking if it was okay first, and on the walk back to the car, he noticed my shoe was untied and bent down to tie it. A few strangers nearby let out a chorus of "AWWWs," and one particularly enthusiastic onlooker made a comment that had us both cracking up. It was hands down the best first date I'd ever had. Three dates later, we told each other we were in love, because when you know, you know. 🤍