How It All Started
Sometimes love shows up when you’re not even looking for it — and definitely not expecting it to come from a dating app.

Dating apps were clearly not for me. Nobody seemed to take anything seriously, half the guys gave one-word replies (if they replied at all), and every single one of them — I kid you not — was holding a fish. At that point, I stayed on for kicks and giggles. The pictures were hilarious!

Then, along came AJ— a very tall, very red-headed man who swiped right. Now listen, I’m not one to beat around the bush, so let me just say it: this one was different. No awkward nostril close-ups or mysterious eyeball selfies. No “let’s just see where the wind takes us” nonsense. He talked about his relationship with Jesus, asked real questions, enjoyed books, and — hold your applause — had zero fish pics. So I swiped right.

Fast forward a few months — a thousand texts, countless FaceTimes, a lot of prayer, and yes, a background check later — we were ready to meet in person. But let’s be clear: I was not getting on a plane. I told him, “If you want to see me, book a flight.” So he did.

He met my parents, came to church with me, and even braved his natural enemy — the beach (shoutout to all the sun-sensitive redheads).

Now you’d think I’d be hooked after all that, but I still had my reservations. My 6’4”, comic book-reading, Jesus-loving, food-obsessed, thoughtful nerd was… awkward! But somewhere over the course of those four days together, I was smitten.

I don’t know exactly when it happened. Maybe it was when he promised to always drive me around (hello, Passenger Princess life). Maybe it was when I forgot something on the way to the airport and asked him to turn the car around — and all he said was, “Yes, my love.”

Or maybe it was when I was trying to balance full-time school, full-time work, and my full-time sanity — and he showed up for me. He prayed with me and for me. He sent me Bible verses, worship songs, and the kind of memes that make you laugh on the worst days.

Somewhere along the way… I fell in love.