After several years of being single, In July of 2021 a friend and I formed a 31+ Singles Group. At one of our first game nights, my future Jennifer attended. She lurked in the shadows of our group activities for many months, occasionally talking with me. It wasn’t love at first sight but she confesses that she basically came to the groups events to see me. Then at the end of February 2022, Jennifer made her historic move. Out of the blue, she sent me a text. She said that she felt that we were supposed to be good friends. I said friends do things together so I asked her to drive with me to Wendover the next evening to do a job. Our friendship developed over the next four months. We went to 8 or 9 singles firesides in a row. I also invited her to hang out with me and watch my top 10 funniest movies. Some she loved and others she wondered why I laughed so hard. (She had only seen 2 of my 10). By the end of May 2022, we were good friends. That is all I thought we would ever be. Then it hit me. I think it hit her a week before, but I didn’t realize it. I felt she sneaked up on me and wrapped her magical love rope around me and POOF, we were in love and 2 days later we were exclusive. I knew that she was the one, the one I would be with for eternity! We then had a magical summer. My work took me to many destinations and I took Jennifer with me. Road Trips! That's how we got to know each other so well. We read, listened to and discussed marriage books while I drove. The material brought up discussions that I have never had with anyone before. Even our patriarchal blessings seem to point to each other!

I wanted to meet new people and had attended some singles events in Utah county. The main group I attended had stopped having events so I went on Facebook to find a new group. I found Shane's group and it met north of me. I went to the next activity they had, a game night. It was fun and I enjoyed the conversation and games. I met Shane and he had a unique quirky personality that I found interesting. Over the next several months I attended a few events in the group, including a few game nights, Monday night virtual games on Jackbox, a Halloween party and a New Years Eve party. I really liked interacting with Shane and often took pictures for him at the events. Then one day he didn't show up to the virtual game night. I always thought we should be friends so I messaged him to see what was up. I thought "this might be my last chance" and told him straight up that I thought we should be good friends. I was super nervous about how he would respond. He was sweet and we talked, a lot, through Facebook messenger. That day and every day since. The next day we went to Wendover for his work. On the drive home he invited me to join his chat group. Things went both slowly and quickly after that. Our friendship grew as we saw each other at singles events, talked in chat and privately in messenger, met up for firesides, hung out together a few times, and watched movies at his house. Sometime in April I knew I loved him, but not in a romantic sense. Come the end of May, he kissed me. Then we decided to try dating. Two days later we were exclusive and the day after that I realized I loved him, in a romantic sense, and told him that, right on his couch. Last summer we did so many activities together. For a while we even saw each other every single day. We went to his cabin, road side by sides, went tubing, did a ton of campfires, went to singles activities, did road trips for his work, and just spent time together. We even took dance lessons! I'd never done many of the activities we did. I feel that I've grown so much as a person since we first started seeing each other as friends in February. This personal growth has coincided with growth in my love for Shane. He is my best friend and I want to spend the eternities with him. I miss him every day that I don't see him and I look forward to all of the additional time and love we can share together as a married couple.

Choose your love, love your choice. - Thomas S. Monson