His Version

Picture it: Minnesota. December 2021. After downloading and deleting Hinge several times, I decided to give it one more shot! And on December 19th, I matched with someone on Hinge for the last time, Ms. Erika Rath of Lewisville, TX. The icebreaker was a discussion of our faith and how important it is to us. After a few days of chatting, Erika asked if I was seriously interested in her or if I was just too scared to say I wasn't interested. This is a girl who knows what she wants. I knew at that moment that she was special.

Over the past couple of years, I have learned just how amazing of a person Erika is. Her kindness, sense of humor, patience, and heart for others are a few of the qualities that my bride-to-be possesses. Our time together has been the ultimate blessing and can't wait for a lifetime of laughs, deep conversations, and plenty of ice cream dates!

Her Version

After much consideration and not a lot of luck the traditional route (work, church, etc.), I decided to ask friends about their experience with online dating. I had a lot of people say Hinge was the app to download. I was hesitant about it. After downloading the app and then deleting it... I redownloaded it and matched with Matthew Cookson a day after his birthday. I joke I was his belated birthday present that year. His first statement was about his faith, which certainly caught my attention!

After a few dates, it came down to the wire of deciding if this was something we were going to pursue seriously. Matt asked me a very important question that helped me make the decision. He asked, "Do you want to end our time together? Or are you scared of what may come from it?" I felt CALLED OUT! This is what I needed in my life. Someone that will keep me accountable and ask me the difficult questions when I am indecisive. I am forever grateful for his boldness.

Along the way I've seen his humor, gentle spirit, and knowledge about so many topics. Those are a few of the wonderful qualities I see in my future husband. I cannot wait to continue to learn and grow together!

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