Josh's Version: We connected on a dating app, Hinge, in January of 2022. After a few weeks of talking through the app and texts, we had our first date at Melt in downtown Huntsville. It went so well that we ended up talking for 3 hours, the only reason we left was because the restaurant was closing. Our second date was at Lowe Mill, I was nervous (as usual) and Caitlin initiated holding hands which helped ease my nerves and realize that she really liked me. After spending time at Lowe Mill we went to Campus 805 for dinner and a round of ax throwing. That was an early glimpse of how competitive Caitlin can be.
Early on I knew I loved Caitlin, and felt she would be my wife one day. Date after date, we fell more and more in love and became best friends as well. There have been signs that our relationship was definitely God's plan. We have SO MANY similarities, our maternal grandparents even share the same names!? We have never had a lack of things to talk about and have loved every moment spent with one another, whether it is a chill night at the house binge-watching a show, shopping trip (usually to TJMaxx because that is her second home *now mine as well*), or a road trip! Our favorite trip, to date, was our Spring Break trip to Chattanooga where I proposed at Cloudland Canyon State Park. I had found the park on Instagram while researching romantic places around the place we were staying. I knew I needed to get the proposal accomplished early on in the trip or I would be a nervous wreck the whole time, so when I saw the waterfall at the park (and there was not an audience around us) I took the leap! I set my phone up like we were just taking candid shots, and then when I set the timer, I got down on one knee and proposed. Thankfully, she said YES and made that the happiest day of my life thus far.

Caitlin’s Version: Josh and I first got to know each other on Hinge in January of 2022. When he first came across my feed his bright smile in every single picture caught my attention first. He looked so cute with his students and the red hair was definitely a plus (even though he’ll say he’s not a redhead)! Josh and I started talking on the app and I don’t think we’ve stopped talking ever since. We exchanged numbers pretty early on but Covid got in the way of our first date until February. We finally got to meet in person and he was the easiest person I’ve ever talked to! We sat in the restaurant for 3 solid hours, not once with a moment of awkward silence or weirdness, and the only reason we decided to leave was because they were closing. The second date was even longer, we spent the day meandering through Lowe Mill, trying some little shops and the gourmet chocolate place. When it was time to leave I wasn’t ready for the date to be over so I suggested axe throwing and dinner at Campus 805 just to keep him in Huntsville a little bit longer! Through each unique date Josh and I discovered more and more similarities like the way we were raised, likes and dislikes, the way we react to stuff to the point where it was just crazy. It became very clear to me early on that Josh and I had to be intended for each other. By the end of the 3rd date I remember I told myself that Josh and I were either gonna end up together or he would be my biggest heartbreak, I was that sure. I prayed to God that night that he would guide each of us on His path and to bless our relationship if it was in His plan. From then on, there have been numerous signs that it was a God thing that we found each other when and how we did. When our one year anniversary came around in March we took a super cute little trip to the mountains and Josh proposed! It was the easiest YES that I’ve ever given. Josh shows me every day that he was an answered prayer, and I am so blessed to love and be loved by him!