I was very skeptical about online dating. I always thought about the worst possible scenario that could happen when talking to and meeting a complete stranger. However, that all changed when I swiped right for Chris. Aside from being very good looking, I loved that he enjoys the outdoors, skiing (maybe he could teach me), and was a dog guy. Actually, the majority of his profile photos were him with a different kind of dog, which also made me question if these were actually his dogs or it was just his thing to take photos with strangers dogs. Anyways, after a few Facetime dates, we decided to meet in person. We grabbed some coffee at Thump, went for a nice walk through Shevlin Park talking about each other's adventures and places we would like to travel, got some very spicy stir fry thai food, said our goodbyes and then went our separate ways. It wasn't until I was driving home after our date I realized how much I enjoyed my time with Chris. I was hoping he would ask for a second date and woke up the next day with a text from him saying he wanted to see me again. After a couple months, I got a new job in Bend, OR, which happened to be the same town Chris is living in. To this day, Chris will say he is the reason I moved to Bend, but not to boost his ego, being in the same town as him made our dates easier to plan since we were no longer long distance. Within the same month of moving to Bend, Chris asked if I could go with him to pick up his new puppy just outside of Salem, OR. It was at that moment when we picked up that little girl, Pepper, we were building our forever family together.

Having just left the Army and moved to a new town, I found online dating to be a powerful and effective way to meet new people. And when I came across Kayla's profile, I distinctly remember thinking that I might be in trouble- this time might actually work out. Even through a dating profile, Kayla was able to convey that she was genuine and sweet, something that was confirmed when we Facetimed after matching. We arranged to meet in person, and my concern grew. Kayla and I had an amazing time together and we really connected on our hopes, priorities, and dreams. Shortly after, Kayla moved to Bend (to be closer to me of course) and our relationship blossomed. I learned how she was beautiful in so many different ways, and how wonderful of a partner she is. Also it's fun to scare her.

I'm overjoyed that I found the person I want to spend forever with, and we are both excited to share our wedding day with you.