If you ask Emily: In April of 2023 I randomly received a follow request on Instagram from Stefan and didn’t think much of it. A few days later it was my birthday and Stefan took the opportunity to message me to wish me a happy birthday. From there, we started messaging back and forth about all of the parts of our lives that overlap despite us never having met before. After a few days of talking, Stefan asked if I wanted to hang out after church one day. I wasn’t really jumping at the idea because I was still hesitant about his age (lol). I reluctantly agreed to meet up with him and I thank God every day for the extra nudge he gave me that day! To no ones surprise, our first date was a trip to Battlefield park with our dogs. We immediately hit it off due to our mutual love of God, dogs, and Razorback sports, and our 2-hour date quickly turned into a 10-hour date. We have spent practically every day together since! I have always thought that when people said “when you know, you know” they were delusional and that I would never have that feeling of certainty. However, when I met Stefan that cheesy saying suddenly felt like my reality. Lucky for me, Stefan felt the same way! We always knew we wanted to get married just the two of us (and our dogs of course) in an intimate ceremony with God as the center, and we did just that! Now we are so excited to celebrate our marriage with all of the people we love!

If you ask Stefan: I was scrolling through Instagram one day and came across Emily’s page. I thought she was really pretty, so I followed her. She accepted and followed me back. I started “stalking” her and put so many pieces together just looking at her instagram and Facebook. She was from Hot Springs, our families worked together, our sisters were the same age, my dad had just done a podcast with her step dad….. wow! I was determined to make a move, just didn’t know the angle yet. I had to be smart and careful…. she’s older than me you know (only a few years). I called a few buddies and even my mother asking about her! I wanted to know everything I could. Lucky for me, her birthday was a few days later. It was my chance to wish her a happy birthday and ask for her number. We talked back and forth for a while and she agreed to go on a date with me, but only if her border collie, Bennett, could be there (imagine that!). From that point on, we couldn’t stay away from each other.

As I sit in solitude to write this, I can feel the presence of God. In his perfect timing, he blessed me with Emily. I am so glad he gave her the extra push that day to say yes to meeting me. I knew she was the one from the moment I met her. It was that clear. Now, I get to call her my wife and “cougar” forever!!