Welcome to the first chapter of the sweet life of Dana and Cody. I was in the middle of nursing school when I first started talking to Dana. I wasn't expecting much from a Christian dating app and my busy schedule, but God's timing was perfect. through the stress and demand of school, I found a girl who was gracious, giving, God fearing, and a bit more on the competitive side. I was hooked.

We started our first date the way any good thing starts with a good burger and a few scoops of ice cream. I noticed how mature, but fun this girl was, and prayed a few too many times to count, as the dates went along. "God please don't let me mess this up."

She's taken me on some awesome adventures, and I've tried returning the favor. You know it's true love if I stuck around once I found out she was a Cubs fan. Each date, coupled with God's leading, convinced me she was the one for me, so with the help of my parents and hers, I proposed on June 29th of 2024.

I've never been so challenged and convinced to be the best man I can be as when I met Dana. She's everything God knew I wanted, and I want to be everything God knew she'd need. I hope our big day can reflect just how beautiful Dana is, how lucky I am, and just how gracious God is. May our family reflect His goodness and peace every day. God really has made this a sweet life.

Cody and I met via a christian dating website- Upward- in March of 2023. I was immediately drawn in by his adventurous spirit and love of the Lord. As we began messaging, I became even more impressed. It was very clear that he was a man whose faith was very important to him. We talked about his recent mission trip to Costa Rica and my recent trip to see Taylor Swift in concert. Both were interests that we had in common.

We met in person for the first time April 20, 2023 at the Purple Cow in Little Rock. There was a major storm outside, so we had to walk through the tsunami just to get inside. I remember being so nervous. I really wanted to impress him. The whole time we were there, it felt like the conversation flowed smoothly. We talked about our jobs, families, and shared our testimonies. It didn’t last too long because the people at Purple Cow were really worried that they would loose electricity, so they rushed us through the eating and paying process. So then, we decided to walk around Barnes & Noble. Cody had originally wanted to go to Two Rivers Bridge, but again, it was pouring. Barnes & Noble was a great back up for a man after my heart! We walked and talked for at least another hour. I showed him what I was interested in, then we ended up sitting down and getting a little bit more serious about the questions we were asking and the things that we were sharing. By the end of the night, I felt confident that I had a pretty good understanding of the man Cody is, and I was excited to see more of it. As we were leaving, he kept checking in to make sure that I was safe to travel home (I lived 5 min away and he was driving all the way back to Conway). Needless to say, we both made it.

We went on a couple more dates leading up to meeting the parents for the first time. I had been really praying about if he was the one and was going back and forth. I needed confirmation. He met my family first. We had been on a date in the area, so I decided to see if they were home and if he was up to meeting them. I could tell he was nervous, but he rolled with it. It went so well! I remember my parents saying that he was such a nice young man (nothing I didn’t already know)! He seemed to like them as well. I could picture him getting along with the rest of my family. I met his family on June 28. I was a wreck. I was meeting them at his church. I remember almost bawling in my car and being so stressed because there was a major wreck on the river bridge that was putting me majorly behind schedule. I called so many people to try and keep my mind off of it. This was when I realized how much Cody was starting to mean to me. Have no fear though- I was stressed enough to leave early enough to make it just on time to Cody’s apartment before heading to Greenbrier. I thought it all went well! We met them at church, then visited at their house for a little bit before heading back home. I really liked his parents, and I could see his love for them too. Before leaving, he ran back in to get something (to hear what they thought of me, haha), and then we were on our way. That night, he asked me to be his girlfriend. We were official.

We continued to go on dates throughout the next several months. I convinced him to watch Harry Potter, he took me on hikes, and we started watching tv shows together. One of the things that I enjoyed the most was the idea that he had to read a book together. We started out with “The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes,” and then followed up with the movie, and now we are working our way through the Chronicles of Narnia series. As we were dating my prayer began to shift from should I date this man to should I marry this man. Time and time again, I saw Cody’s character. I saw how he was patient, thoughtful, a planner, intentional, dedicated, talented,... the list could go on. And I loved him for it. I remember on some of these dates, I would wait for him to say it. There would be moments where he would give me a hug and say something, which I would have to make him repeat, because I couldn’t stop thinking Is this it? Is he going to say it? Cody did in fact tell me he loved me first, but it was not unreciprocated. I don’t think I could possibly say exactly when I fell in love with Cody. For me, it was a long process. I just remember that as we were going about our relationship, I looked up one day and was like I can’t imagine losing him. He is literally the man that I have been praying for since I was a little girl.

We first had the conversation about marriage early in the year of 2024. Cody wanted to make it to where we had been dating at least a year before making a huge commitment, and I was okay with it. We sat down at Outback Steak house and hammered out a few more things. What did we want as a family? What were our aspirations? I shared my 30 by 30, and he shared some things that he wanted to do as well. I was so excited- I started wedding planning that night (though I don’t think Cody knows that part).

We continued dating over the next several months. We had agreed on a wedding date, and as we passed the one year mark out from them, I began to get antsy. There was a venue that I had my eyes on, and I didn’t want them to get booked, so after talking to a few people (Cody included) I went ahead and toured and booked it (before we were even engaged haha)! I was also very nosey and tried to figure out if he had already talked to my parents, or if he had bought the ring yet, etc.

Shortly after, Cody told me about a ceremony that his niece was having and we were invited to go. There was also a waterfall that he was really wanting to go to. I kept asking about bringing a change of clothes so that I wouldn’t be sweaty for the ceremony, but he was persistent in saying “no, there won't be time. The waterfall is just off the road,. You wont need it.” So I got up that morning, and put on a dress to go on a hike. We went about the morning as normal. I met him at his apartment, then he drove us from there to this waterfall. I knew it was special because he had mentioned that it was his favorite place and he would only take someone there when he was sure they were the one. So with that in mind, I was hopeful that that would be the day, but also certain that he would not do anything to take the attention off of his niece on the day of her ceremony. We made it to the waterfall, and he was showing me around and taking pictures (as one does looking at God’s creation). He then positioned me just so, so that he could get the “perfect picture” and when he grabbed a poem out of his bag my heart was racing. It was so sweet, and at the end, he asked me to marry him- and of course I said yes! Our families were there to celebrate, and we were able to call those who were not. We ended the day celebrating with some friends (Cody had let them know and they surprised us with an engagement party).

And now here we are, planning a wedding and our future together. I am so excited to be able to spend the rest of my life with Cody!