Still single at age 27? Yup, that was me. But a single dog mom I was in this crazy world called life (read in Yoda's voice). My furbaby, Sullivan, longed for a father to play fetch with him. He yearned for the days his mom would leave the house to go meet a man. Finally that day came.

In April 2023, I took Sullivan with me to volunteer at a youth event at church. That's when I met Dustin, another youth volunteer, for the first time (don't let him convince you otherwise). We made small talk about each other's jobs. He was easy to converse with during this quick interaction. A few weeks later we went out to eat after the Good Friday service with Kasey and Jamie (his sis and brother in law). We were placed in the smallest booth of all time where we were entirely too close to each other. But this kid made the situation less awkward by cracking jokes and being lighthearted. This was the moment that I knew I wanted to know more about this guy.

He invited me to Easter lunch with his family and I turned him down. Mainly because I had two tests to complete that day. Of course, I had to learn more about this kid in my free time, for research's sake. His social media accounts were private... except for his LinkedIn account. Romantic, right? Anyways, I'm not very extroverted, so I had a difficult time talking to him when we were in large group settings. Thankfully he kept pursuing me, even with the mixed signals I was unintentionally sending him. I wrote down some questions to ask him on our first date to make sure neither of us were wasting each other's time. I'm glad I did. Our first date was over 4 hours, and from that point forward, I knew he was the one God had prepared for me.

I had been praying for my future spouse quite frequently during my clinical rotations. I had never done this before but saw the Lord transform my heart during the process. My prayers became less of "Lord, will I ever get married?!?" to "Lord, if it is your will, allow my future husband to be full of the fruits of the Spirit, discipling others, and being discipled by godly men." God answers our prayers. 3 months later, we were already discussing what it would look like to pursue engagement. Then I waited for 4 months in anticipation and with lots of anxiety. He finally popped the question after church on January 28th, 2024. He was very sneaky about it even after having to ditch his Plan A and B. But it was perfect. And we can't wait to get married on October 6th!

It all started in utter darkness. I'm in a tunnel. The walls creeping in. The day is December 25th, 1995. Suddenly, the tunnel walls push me all the way out head first. Then some mad scientist in a white coat uses massive tongs in an attempt to decapitate me. God had bigger plans though. The terrible scientist's plan backfired, and I end up coming out of the tunnel entirely, though with a misshaped head.

Fast forward 26ish years to the day I first hear of a girl named Isabel. My sister and brother-in-law, Kasey and Jamie, mention a girl that showed up to church. They thought she was interesting though perhaps slightly weird. Sounded like my perfect girl. However, she goes away for about a year before showing back up and sticking around this time. This is when I start making moves to see if this girl could actually be the one for me.

I normally go to Revo South Fork, but this time I attend Revo North Campus for a chance at meeting this girl. It's morning time, so I'm running a bit late as normal. I get to the church with about 2 minutes to spare before service starts. Jamie walks me straight up to a small social group where Isabel stood chatting. He immediately makes an awkward joke (he learned from me well) and introduces me to Isabel. We spoke about 3 lines of dialogue to each other before she left, and I had to go into the service. I learned practically nothing about her and therefore was not any closer to making a decision. However to this day, she still has no recollection of this event ever occurring. I shall never let her live it down.

We end up meeting again at a youth event for church and had multiple real conversations this time. Apparently this was enough for her to actually remember me for the first time. We then end up sitting beside each at a Good Friday service and going to a mexican restaurant with Kasey and Jamie afterwards. At this restaurant, we are in a booth with barely enough width for me. Thank goodness she was extra small, or it would have been a bit too friendly for my comfort. We all had a good time telling stories and making awkward jokes. I thought she had been convinced to watch the Passion of the Christ that night, but she apparently decided to head home and watch it by herself. Then on the third day (that's Easter Sunday) after church, I invited her to join our family for lunch. She came up with this lame excuse about having to take a test. I knew what that meant. She's not interested. Disappointed but keeping my head high, I continue on my way for about 2 months.

By luck or God's plan (you know which one I'm betting on), I am able to join my Kasey and Jamie's bible study. Guess who's there. The girl who wanted nothing to do with me, Isabel. After one of the bible study nights, I'm hanging out at my sister's house late like I tend to do. I get a LinkedIn notification saying Isabel Dowty has viewed my profile. I obviously think more about it and determine that she must know that I can see she viewed my profile. Therefore, perhaps she is interested after all. I mean who looks up random people on LinkedIn that have absolutely no connection? Probably lots of people, but hey. I'm a believer, and I wasn't willing to miss this opportunity.

So what do I do? Nothing. Well outside of the normal conversations, nothing more. I still can't decide if I'm overthinking the whole situation. Until one day, I get an Instagram message from her making an awkward joke (you're may be noticing a pattern of these). That gave me just barely enough confidence for the next step. The following week at another youth event for church, I finally ask her out on a date. She said yes.

Huh would you look at that? We go on our first date. She shows up late making me extremely nervous. When she finally arrived, that anxiety was quickly pointed at making conversation. However, she arrives with a full list of questions asking about my faith and my future. It was quite seriously my ideal conversation. Deep and meaningful with predetermined topics. It doesn't get better than that.

Or so I thought, but somehow the next 7 months just kept getting better. And now you're reading this. You know where the story goes from here. Thanks for joining us on our lifelong ride.