Crazily enough, we met on a Christian dating app called Upward. I (Ashley) had never been on one before, prayed about it, and told the Lord that I would give him 72-96 hours on it. I was skeptical but the Lord always has a sense of humor. And just a few days later, I met Derek! What a cutie he was (and is). I FaceTimed him for the first time driving back from Chipotle and after that we continued to FaceTime for about 4 hours every day for the next couple of weeks until he drove all the way to JMU from Pittsburgh just to hang out for the day!

We continued the long-distance dating, though it wasn't easy, we loved each and every second we got to spend together. I got to see his world in Pittsburgh and he got to see mine in Virginia.

We both live in Nashville now, on separate sides of the city, but it is such a sweet time to experience the same city and be much closer together!

We are truly best friends and just can't wait to spend the rest of our lives together. The Lord has blessed us abundantly and having each other is such a gift.

My first date with Ashley took place at the legendary Mr. J’s Bagels in Harrisonburg, VA. Still one of the best breakfast sandwiches I’ve ever had. That date was the start of many dates that all took place that same day. Including a trip to the farmers market, a personal tour of JMU, and finally dinner at Billy Jacks that included some sticky nuggs. It was a day filled with food and it couldn’t have been better. I knew from that start that Ashley was an amazing woman solely because of her dedication to the Lord. She set the example for how I can live out my life for the Lord every day and that started on the first day that I met her.