I met my darling Luke on Hinge LOL. I never really used the app, I hadn't lived in Florida long and I spent a lot of my time visiting my parents in Fort Myers while I lived in Tampa. One day I got on it, not realizing my location had changed to Fort Myers and I saw a like from Luke. I don't know if it was the mustache or clear sense of humor that initially lured me in.

Luke was the easiest person to talk to right from the beginning. If you ask anyone in my life, they have been personally victimized by my inability to text any of them back. That wasn't the case with Luke. I felt like a middle school girl smiling down at my phone and jumping to grab it every time I heard it buzz.

Luke was a gentleman from the get go. Always respectful, attentive, and (most of the time) knew all the right things to say. I agreed to a date the first chance I got and I remember telling him that if he didn't come to the door, my family would immediately write him off. He thought I was crazy for even thinking I had to ask. Luke didn't just come to the door, he came INSIDE and met both of my parents, my grandfather and my uncle at once. He even hugged my mom (love at first sight for her). He was and still is the most handsome man I've ever seen.

On our second date, Luke took me to 5th Avenue to walk around and I saw a sweater that I absolutely loved in the window of a store that was then closed and LUKE DROVE AN HOUR TO GO BACK FOR IT THE NEXT DAY. That is the kind of man Luke is and has been since that day. That is, embarrassingly, the moment I knew he was the one. Not kidding.

Luke is the best thing that has ever happened to me. He's strong when I am not and he's the most reliable son, brother and friend. He is thoughtful, gentle, kind, and, for some reason, loves me. It didn't take us long to decide that this was forever, and honestly, I'd be a fool if I didn't rush in.

Meeting Emma felt like meeting my better half, something I didn't know that I was missing. Immediately she was 100% authentically herself. Silly, thoughtful, and SASSY!!

I remember our very first date and meeting the majority of her family at the exact same moment that I was seeing her for the first time in person. We got in my car and she asked if we should go to Buckett's, a little sports bar 5 minutes away (I only add that because I was like ??? That would be a quick date and we had been LITERALLY texting non stop for over a week). So, I said no! We aren’t going there. We are going to a grocery store! It’s 40 minutes away! And Seed to Table was a BLAST!

Maybe 2 weeks later Emma *lightly* told me, not in exact words, that I should ask her to be my girlfriend. I gladly obliged.

The very next week her mom invited me to go to Tennessee to babysit Emma's nephew with them. It would just be me, Emma, her mom, and cute little Shiloh. After knowing Emma for 3 ish weeks, I booked a plane ticket and spent 4 days straight with her, over 1000 miles away from home.

We went on several excursions drank a lot of super expensive lavender coffee (12$!?!) and I told Emma (on accident -BUT I MEANT IT) that I loved her. We were walking around Opryland Hotel seeing the Christmas lights and decorations and talking about everything and nothing at the same time. Emma said, ”Oh you’re SUCH a tough guy you don’t love anything, do you!?” I replied and said, ”I love lots of things! I love trees, my family, I love you.” I didn’t finish that "you" but Emma definitely knew what I was about to say. I don’t think my face has ever been that red in my life and Emma, thinking I didn’t mean it, or just being the kind lady she is, graciously drew no attention to my flushed and nervous self. Later that night I told her I meant it and, luckily, she felt the same way.

Being with Emma has been the happiest and silliest experience of my life and I can’t wait for forever with her.