I know I'm a little biased, but I think we have the most beautiful story of timing and the faithfulness of God. Shannon and I had very similar experiences with our previous marriages, and we were divorced around the same time. We both went through betrayal and heartbreak that wrecked our worlds. Faith was at the center of our healing. As I tried to put my pieces back together, I sought God more fiercely than ever before. Shannon had drifted away from the church and was on his journey back to Him. Little did we know God was working on both of our hearts and making a way for us to meet.

We were each looking for different things when we signed up on Match. I was struggling with feeling unworthy and was searching for validation in all the wrong places. I had been on there for less than a month and went on a date with another man that would have provided exactly what I thought I needed and deserved. Thankfully, God convicted me, and I ran for the hills. Shannon had been active a bit longer on Match. He never actually met any of the ladies he talked to online. He says they were on the clearance rack, and he wanted a life partner or no partner at all. He had just about given up hope until he saw my profile. He says he hesitated to reach out to me because he thought I was out of his league (absolutely crazy to me), but he felt he had nothing else to lose. I'll be honest typically I wouldn't have even responded to the basic “Hey, how are you message.” I also wouldn't have entertained the idea of a long-distance relationship either. I had a strict 1-hour rule, and Wetumpka was 1 hour and 45 minutes from Enterprise. His last photo in his profile sparked my interest because it was candid, and he looked so cute in his toboggan. Shannon was different than my type He broke all the rules I had in place, but in the best way imaginable. I cannot explain it, but I always felt a steady push towards him.

Shannon and I met in person on 11/11/22. He picked me up from my dad's house and we went to the peanut festival. Thank goodness he wasn't a creeper because geeze, who gives someone their address for the first date anymore? I can remember walking by the food stands that night and there was something in the way he looked at me. I felt like he saw right through my walls and rough edges. I instantly felt safe. He says when he looks at me the whole world disappears and all he can see is me. I know it sounds cheesy, but I can feel it, so I know it's real.

Those of you who know me know I have the memory of Dory, so I can't recall all the firsts. But I do remember telling him the day after we met in person, that he was going to be either my greatest love or my greatest heartbreak. I'm so grateful he's the first.

Our relationship verse is Isaiah 43:18-19. Our pastor preached on it the very first time Shannon attended church with me 2 days after we met.

"Forget the former things;

do not dwell on the past.

See, I am doing a new thing!

Now it springs up; do you not perceive it?

I am making a way in the wilderness

and streams in the wasteland"

As we embark on this new chapter in our lives, we pray God will make a way for our families to be united. We would love and appreciate it if you pray for us too.