Somewhere around July/August 2024, I met Dan in an online Zoom call that I facilitated for Reformed Christian Singles (a Facebook group for—you guessed it—singles who are reformed in their faith). I proceeded to drop a whole slew of hankies for the next 4 (6?) weeks. I almost gave up multiple times, but several Godly men in my life told me that "men are idiots" and to "hang in there". Hang in there, I did... and I'm so glad!

I had to first convince Dan that long-distance dating could in fact be intentional and that online dating was a viable way to find a spouse. Multiple friends of mine mentioned to him that they thought we would be a good match, and he finally began to open himself up to the possibility.

As hesitant as he was to distance, he insisted that he enjoyed talking to me and we began talking daily through Facebook messenger. I dropped the hint that he ought to ask me on an actual date, and while I meant a video call, he took it to mean in person. He proceeded to plan a trip to Houston to take me on a date, which was even better than the video date I had in mind! Turns out that I got both. On November 14th, we had our first (just us) Zoom call, and then on November 29th, he showed up at my doorstep in Houston, flowers in hand.

Dan may have stalled a bit at the beginning, but once he put the plane into gear, he really took off. (Yes, I know that metaphor may not work, but since I'm writing this without Dan's help, it will have to do.) He became very intentional and even met both of my church pastors on Zoom before he came down for his first visit. That first weekend was a great mix of time getting to know each other (baking, going to Renaissance Festival, walking in the park) and meeting my church friends. By the end of the weekend, Dan landed the plane and asked me to be his girlfriend.

Planning our next visit, Dan made the comment that I may want to wait until Spring to visit New England rather than face the extreme cold. I surprised him by not only being willing to visit in December but also playing in the snow in a Buc-ee's T-shirt upon arrival. We shared a wonderful week together where we spent a lot of time in the kitchen cooking, met many members of his church family, and traveled to Boston for a day. I was so blessed to be hosted by friends from his church for an entire week. We were even gifted the opportunity to host Christmas together when his pastor had a pipe burst at his house. We hosted 8 people in Dan's apartment, and Dan joked that I was going through a homemaker test. At the end of that week, it was through a lot of tears (on my part) that we separated at the airport to get on our respective planes to see our families for Christmas.

Continuing in that intentionality, Dan flew back to Houston in January to meet my family. In a whirlwind of a weekend, he met my parents, grandpa, an aunt and uncle, cousin and his family, and sister and her family. He learned just how much of a gamer family we are and was introduced to the family game of "Pegs & Jokers". He impressed my mother by being willing to learn so many new games that we threw at him. Through wise counsel from a friend, we learned that I did better knowing when I would see him next, and this time he had tickets booked for another trip before I even dropped him off at the airport.

Our next visit was supposed to be a plane trip to Nebraska to meet his family, but I got a bonus visit when Dan travelled to Oklahoma for work! He flew, I drove, and we met in the middle... isn't that what relationships are all about? Two weeks later, I flew to Nebraska and met his family. His parents picked us up at the airport, and I showed up to chocolates and a floral bouquet designed by his sister in my room... I felt so welcomed by their hospitality! I learned that his family are also gamers and enjoyed playing games with Dan, his parents, and his nieces. I enjoyed the beautiful soft snowfall (third snow for this Texan in one winter!) despite it causing some worry returning to the airport.

The next trip we had planned was me flying to Massachusetts on March 6th, so imagine my surprise on March 1st when I open my blinds in my office to look down and see Dan walking up the sidewalk to my house. My brain went into overload mode (what could best be described as an excited panic) picking out clothes to quickly change into as he called my phone to declare, "Behold, I stand at the door and knock” to which I replied, “myyy door?” After a quick freak-out on the phone with a best friend and donning a casual yet cute outfit in a big hurry, I answered the door to Dan yet again on my doorstep with flowers.

After some awkward chit chat (of both of us NOT talking about why he was really in Houston) while I put the flowers in water, I realized that I needed to cancel dinner that was supposed to be delivered to Dan's home soon. Seeing as it was his birthday, I had scheduled a video date with him, ordered him a steak dinner, and even had his birthday present shipped to him. Unbeknownst to me, none of this was needed! I finally asked him what the plan was, and he said we would go for a walk and then go to dinner, leaving as soon as we were able. I set off to my room to change yet again, donning the dress I had worn on our first date, whipping my hair into decency, and throwing on makeup—all in record time!

We loaded up in Dan's fancy Mustang rental and drove to the park. After a walk of chit chat and singing praise songs (I was nervous, so I started singing), we walked into the gazebo where he had asked me to be his girlfriend just three months prior. A dozen roses awaited me, and Dan got down on one knee, presented me the most beautiful ring I've seen in my life, and asked me to marry him. I told him it would by my joy to be his wife... and I mean that with every ounce of my being. I am beyond blessed to have this man beside me in life through the ups and downs, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish until death do us part.

Registry