Our Story

By Nolen Bonds

I can only begin our story by first saying God is good and his plan for us is perfect.

Admittedly, our hallmark love story didn’t necessarily start out that way. There was no longing first glance across the room, no small-town summer fling, or forbidden star-crossed love. Under the heal of a global pandemic we were forced to take a more modern approach to our meet- cute; we swiped right. More specifically, I won Madaline over with my charm and quick wit by leaving a clever, flirtatious comment on her Hinge dating profile. Naturally Madaline was unable to resist my allure, and with her heart teeming with curiosity and desire, she responded…. two weeks later.

From there, things moved quickly:

Dec. 18th, 2020: Our first date.

December 19th, 2020: We take her two cats to the vet. To anyone that knows Madaline, things could not have been going any better at this point.

January 3rd, 2021: Our second date.

January 9th, 2021: Madaline goes duck hunting with me and the other Bonds boys. To anyone who knows me, things could not have been going any better at this point. Since that day, my father has continuously reminded me that I have seriously outkicked my coverage. I couldn’t agree more. To refer to my opening statement, God is good.

January 14th, 2021: Road Trip to Colorado. This was to be the ultimate trial of our newly-founded relationship. Nothing quite tests your compatibility like 14 hours in a confined space surrounded by the not-so- breathtaking Kansas scenery. To give a brief glimpse into the general aura of the trip, we had to stop and purchase industrial strength electrical tape to create a seal on the car doors to prevent them from constantly whistling in the 70 mph crosswind. It was hopelessly romantic.

January 26th, 2021: I officially asked Madaline to be my girlfriend. Luckily for me, she didn’t wait two weeks to respond. From then, we have filled our days with countless adventures from the streets of Chicago to the shores of Maui. We both knew we were the one for each other early on, and we still argue over who said “I love you” first.

The last date I’ll mention is certainly not the least…

October 22, 2022: Madaline made the best decision of her life by saying yes to marrying me. The best decision I have ever made was asking.