Ashlen and I’s love story started with a simple swipe on Facebook Dating. Neither of us expected much when we downloaded the app, but little did we know, our entire lives were about to change.


The first thing that caught my attention was her smile. There was something about the way her joy shined through the screen that felt different, like it was meant solely for me.

Being the scaredy cat I can be at times, I was so nervous to send a message to initiate the conversation when she had swiped back indicating that she “liked” me, too. Within a few days of us swiping on one another, I received a message from Ashlen in my notifications. I was so nervous and anxious to open the message, but I told myself to not be rude and open it. When viewing the message, I didn’t realize I had just opened the first page of the most beautiful chapter of my life.


From that very first conversation, everything felt easy. The words flowed naturally, like we had known each other all of our lives. We talked about the little things: our favorite foods, favorite music, our hobbies, etc. However, somewhere in between, we realized this wasn’t just another online chat. We were connecting on a deeper level.

As I got to know Ashen, I quickly realized she was a woman of faith. A woman who truly knew and loves Jesus Christ. That was what instantly sealed it for me. I had always prayed for a partner who would not only walk through life with me, but also walk with me in faith. In her, I found both.


Soon messages turned into Facetime calls, and those Facetime calls turned into long nights laughing until we couldn’t keep our eyes open. And then came the moment we finally met in person. We decided to meet halfway for our first ever date. We met in Ellicott City, MD. The entire drive to the date, I believe I was more nervous than when we initially met on our first Facetime call. However, in the back of my mind, I had nervous excitement wrapped in the certainty that this was right. When we locked eyes for the first time, it felt like I had just met my forever partner in life.


From there, our story grew quickly, but naturally. Adventures, inside jokes, prayers, and dreams started weaving us closer together. Each moment reminded us that meeting on Facebook Dating was not an accident, it was perfect timing.
Now, looking back, it’s amazing to think that what started as a swipe and a message has led us here: engaged, in love, and ready to spend forever together. Our story is proof that love finds you in the most unexpected ways, and when it does, you just know. I thank God every day for the moment He brought Ashlen into my life. What started on Facebook Dating has turned into a fairytale, and I can’t wait to spend the rest of my life writing the next chapters with Ashlen by my side.

The first time I met Jackson wasn’t exactly traditional, as we both met on Facebook dating. As skeptical as I was at first, and thought there was absolutely no way this could work, we were both about to be in for the surprise of a lifetime.

A week or two of texting and calling back and forth, led Jackson to the point of making his first official FaceTime call to me on Valentine’s Day. I noticed quickly that he was a smooth talker, and quite easy on the eyes.

From that first FaceTime call, Jackson has pursued and cherished me like no one else, the way it should be. He’s opened doors, gotten me a water when he got himself one, and has even helped bandage and clean up a burn I got from my steam mop of all things. He truly has a servants heart.

My first official in-person date with Jackson started out like any other date, but little did I know, it would be the last first date I’d ever go on, and the second best decision I would ever make, aside from the commitment I made to follow Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior.

Walking up to Jackson that first date, the first thing I remember was the warmth he exuded, and the bright smile he gave me. I also noticed that, for a guy, he was an incredibly well dressed and had a great sense of style, which was something I was also excited about (tho not a necessity of course). His big glasses, flannel shirt, jeans, and sneakers said “manly with a touch of sophistication and a whole lot of smart,” which has held out to be very true in my opinion. I mean, the man has a masters degree, and he wants to work on his doctorate (so proud of him)!

We had both chosen Ellicott City as our first date since it was in between both of us, and it felt like a great halfway spot. As the date got started, we found ourselves very much at ease, falling into a comfortableness and a deep friendship that both of us had been praying to find our whole lives, which ultimately led to us falling in love, and a mutual understanding of “me too’s.”

While on the date, thru conversation we discovered that we both share a love for history, quaint little towns, delicious food, nature, a passion for our faith, our God, and doing what’s right. To sum it up, we both prefer the more simple things in life— our dogs, our family, and our friends. Everything else, we could take or leave.

What Jackson couldn’t leave on that first date was me. He asked me to be his girlfriend that very first night. Some may call it crazy, but looking back, Jackson has told me he knew I was the one from that very first night.

Days turned into weeks, and weeks turned into months, which led to my first trip back home to meet his parents (David and Christine) and some of his friends (Chris and Ali) in NC, to us prayerfully pursuing becoming engaged, to going to our first wedding as an engaged couple, and to us finally becoming one on this very day. We are so glad you’re here to join us on this journey— whether it’s in support from afar thru prayer, or up close in person on the big day— we’re thankful for our community!

In dating and becoming engaged to Jackson, I’ve discovered the beauty and gift of being human, and living the human experience. Tho there is nothing beautiful about the frailty and ugliness of sinful humanity, what is beautiful is our God, and how he redeems brokenness and turns ashes into beauty. Jackson and I will walk thru trials. We won’t always get it right. There will be occasional frustrations and friction. None of us are perfect, but we serve a perfect God and a risen Savior who uses the gift of marriage to redeem and refine us thru trials and triumphs, uses it to glorify himself in the end, and display a picture of what the gospel truly is.

In Jackson, I’ve found “my dearest friend, my deepest love, and the very best of me.”~ Nicholas Sparks

Tho this conversation is between Ruth and her mother in law Naomi, Jackson and I chose it as our theme verse. It’s also engraved on both of our rings. We pray this is modeled in our own marriage.

“But Ruth said, “Do not urge me to leave you or to return from following you. For where you go I will go, and where you lodge I will lodge. Your people shall be my people, and your God my God. Where you die I will die, and there will I be buried. May the Lord do so to me and more also if anything but death parts me from you.””‭‭Ruth‬ ‭1‬:‭16‬-‭17‬ ‭ESV‬‬