Tom and Ginger’s relationship version of Match Day happened on November 1, 2019 on the dating app Hinge. If Tom had not added an extra inch of height to his profile, we wouldn’t be here today. Their first date was on November 9th, when they went to Mongoose vs. Cobra - a gin and tonic bar in Houston. The first date lasted almost seven hours as Ginger ended up joining Tom and his friends for a night out. On date number three, Tom had the wild idea to invite Ginger to his sister’s upcoming wedding in Wisconsin, thinking only a crazy person would say yes. Without blinking, Ginger accepted, and they booked flights to Wisconsin then and there. Ginger reciprocated the accelerated “meet-the-family” by inviting Tom to their upcoming family Thanksgiving celebration in Houston. Three weeks into dating, Tom was given a work opportunity to relocate to London for eight months. Despite having a fresh, new relationship they could both already tell that it was something special and decided to make the distance work. Tom’s stay in London was short lived as the world was turned upside down by the Covid-19 pandemic. Tom moved back to Houston (homeless) while Ginger’s clinical rotations as a PA student were put on pause. They drove to Tennessee to stay with Ginger’s parents for a few weeks, then to Wisconsin to stay with Tom’s, then back to Tennessee and again to Wisconsin. Instead of a year spent 5,000 miles and 6 time zones apart, they spent the entirety of 2020 in each other’s company. As 2021 came around, Tom and Ginger settled into a more normal routine. They shared a love for travel, taking trips to the Bahamas, Paris, Dubai, and even included their parents in a trip to Ireland - in hindsight it’s obvious why their parents expected a proposal! The actual proposal took place on December 10, 2022 when Tom brought Ginger on a journey to the locations of their first 12 dates, with Ginger collecting a rose and a handwritten card reminiscing on each of those 12 first dates. In a fitting parallel to their first date, the proposal lasted for about seven hours, with Ginger being so tired by the end that neither she nor Tom can remember if she actually said yes. Ginger and Tom are excited to take their next big step together on March 16th, 2024 with all of their favorite people present! This time, Ginger promises to give Tom a verbal “I do.”