Michael and I met on Hinge, the dating app that is “designed to be deleted.” He liked that my profile was authentic, and I was intrigued by his thoughts on Jesus. We messaged nonstop for about 12 hours, talking about anything and everything.

The next day, Michael invited me to come have pizza with him and his friends. I got in my car and drove out to Schaumburg to meet up with this absolute stranger (don’t worry, I asked if he was an axe murder and he said no). We went for pizza at Lou Malnati’s and found ourselves having awesome conversations, all getting to know one another much better. At one point I was asked how I knew Michael, and I confessed that we’d met on a dating app. The next obvious question was, “Well are you dating?” After an awkward glance in Michael’s direction, I answered, “Not yet.” And again, the next obvious question was, “Do you want to date?” Michael’s immediate answer was yes.

Since that night we’ve been pretty much inseparable, constantly trying to spend as much time together as possible, still wanting to learn more about each other.

During the week that followed us meeting, Kat and I had been talking pretty late every night. With my family being out of town and Kat being new to Chicago, we decided that we'd spend Easter with friends. Having spent most of the day meeting her friends and those in her life in Chicago, we had a small game night where she called me babe although we hadn't started dating yet. I wasn’t sure if a second date was too soon to ask her out yet until then.

We went that night to her apartment to spend time with just us two, and I told her I had a question.

I asked, "How would you feel about me being your boyfriend?"

She said yes and we went nonchalantly back to watching the show we had started together.

Michael and I spent Christmas in New York City with my mom’s side of the family and his sister. The day after Christmas we had the chance to get away for a few hours, just the two of us. We had plans that afternoon to see the Rockettes at Radio City Music Hall with the family, so we were both dressed up a little.

Our first stop was coffee. Since we’d been with family all week, we cherished this first moment alone, and we sat and enjoyed our coffee together.

Our next stop was an independent bookstore in Manhattan. One of our favorite things to do on date night is go to a new bookstore, so this seemed completely normal to me. Once we got inside, Michael suggested we go upstairs. At the top of the stairs, he pulled a wooden box out of his pocket, and in it was a ring. He asked casually how I would feel about him being my husband.

And of course I said yes! But then I remembered that I brought my answer with me, so I reached for my purse and handed him a journal. I had been writing notes and love letters to him since July, creating a sort of time capsule of our relationship, and just that morning I had written one last entry to answer his proposal with my YES.

We will be going on a mini-honeymoon June 7-10 in our very own Chicago. We've booked an Airbnb for a few days so we can get away together and celebrate our new marriage.

Sometime in 2021 we will be flying to Costa Rica for a week of sun and sand on the beaches of Playa Hermosa. As much as we've traveled together already, we're looking forward to our first trip as a married couple, and we're excited to kick off our marriage with such a unique experience together.