Back in 2021 the Lord was really starting to take me on an adventure, moving me to Charlotte and leaving everything I knew to be comfortable in Memphis.
October 2021 I downloaded Hinge (a dating app) to “see where people are living” and “get a feel for the good areas of Charlotte”.
Anyone who says “I was not looking for a man” normally isn’t telling the whole truth, but I really was using Hinge as a tool to investigate my new city!
I matched with Jonathan during that time on the dating app, and if you were to ask me what stood out about his dating profile, it would have to be the total lack of seriousness in his pictures. You only have 5 pictures you can post to really sell yourself, and he chose 2 different pictures of characters from early 2000s TV shows (and for whatever reason that made me laugh)!
We began texting quite a bit for 3 months, he would send me videos of his sisters and brother in laws on their sibling trip that year, he would send videos of his nieces roasting him because he was still single, and I would get updates from his annual Branson, MO thanksgiving trip! All during that time, still just texting, never actually going on a date yet (because I was still in Memphis until my move in Jan 2022)!
January 5, 2022 was our very first time meeting one another in person. I made gluten free brownies, and we talked for 5 hours straight about everything!
Memorial Day Weekend, 2022: I asked Jonathan if we were “official” as we were taking in the sites of the public beaches at Myrtle Beach, SC. Turns out, we were!
May 2022- February 2024 has been of the best dating experiences I have ever been apart of. Jonathan and I learned so much about one another, how to encourage one another, how to love one another, and how we complement one another better than we could’ve imagined!
February 25, 2024, Jonathan Bryan shocked me (and everyone who knows him) with his elaborate and rehearsed proposal at the Biltmore Estate in Asheville, NC. I blacked out a little bit when he got down on one knee, but I remember him emphasizing that could never and would never plan another proposal ever again (LOL)! Surrounded by family and friends in the tree line of the Biltmore, Jonathan and I entered the next chapter of our love story with the most fairytale backdrop!
February 25- December 7, 2024, I am so joyful as we enter this season of engagement! Jonathan is everything I had prayed for and so much more. The Lord had so much planned for me moving to Charlotte, and I thank Him everyday for allowing Jonathan to step into my life at the perfect time.
New Addition to the Story: The Lord has called Jonathan and I to Lafayette, Louisiana in October 2024!
There are a million reasons that this move would not make sense 50 or so days out from a wedding, but the Lord has been SO FAITHFUL!
Everything that needed to be taken care of has been, everything that could have been a headache to deal with in such a short time frame has been resolved without much effort from us.
We just ask for prayers as we start this new journey together in a brand new city in a new state (and that Jonathan safely drives the U-Haul from NC to LA)!