By the time Derek and I met, both of us were feeling a little worn out from dating, or, truthfully, not dating at all. We just hadn’t found the kind of love that felt right. One of Jenna’s friends and a mutual friend of Derek’s was tired of hearing the “never again” declarations — and a light bulb went off. She came up with the idea: let’s set these two up on a blind date. Two people who were done looking for love… maybe just needed to be pointed in the right direction. ( If we haven't said it enough, thanks again, Haley! ) Derek and I both agreed, more out of curiosity than anything else. But we didn’t make it to the blind part of the date. If you know Derek and his stubbornness, he couldn’t wait, which led to us texting back and forth for a few weeks prior to our true first date night. Even with a few conversations under our belts, we didn’t expect that first date to feel so natural. So easy. There was no awkward silence, no forced conversation, no checking the time under the table. Just real, genuine connection. From that night on, we were inseparable. Time together was like finding something you didn’t even realize you’d been searching for. We started building something almost immediately — not because we were trying to, but because it felt impossible not to. What was meant to be one last attempt at love turned into the beginning of everything. And now, here we are — grateful, grounded, and still just as inseparable as that very first night. Plus, we’ve added our first four-legged, fur baby to the mix.