March 2019
My best friend Brandi and I were visiting my mom in St. Simons, hoping for a fun and relaxing break. Unfortunately, the friends I had there were all busy, leaving us with few options for entertainment. Seeing our predicament, my mom suggested we try Bumble to find new friends. Brandi and I agreed and found ourselves at Mellow Mushroom, scrolling through profiles.

Amid the sea of faces, one profile stood out: Rowdy. My mom’s eyes lit up when she saw his picture. “Thats Rowdy! Hes my friends hairdresser. You should match with him!” We decided to give it a shot. After a brief chat, Rowdy suggested we meet at Rafters for a band playing on Fat Tuesday.

Brandi and I arrived at Rafters first, scanning the crowd for Rowdy. As I turned around, I saw him crouched behind a stranger, trying to scare me. I caught him before he could and giggled, wondering if this man was really trying to jump scare me for a first interaction. (He was). Rowdy was wearing skinny jeans and a black leather jacket, looking effortlessly cool.

Though we were supposed to meet up as friends, the atmosphere quickly changed when Rowdy announced, “I wasnt expecting you to be so cute.” I tried to brush it off, reminding myself and him that Brandi was there too and we were just looking for friends. We moved from Rafters to another bar down the street, Murphy’s. The three of us hit it off, chatting and laughing the night away.

As the evening came to an end, Brandi and I decided it was time to head home. But just as we were about to leave, Rowdy shouted after me. I turned back…and snagged a quick kiss. 🥰

The next day, the three of us made plans to meet for lunch at Bubba’s and then go for a walk on the beach. Lunch was casual and fun. As we walked along the beach Rowdy kept asking me questions and poor Brandi was left to third wheel in this conversation.

We walked back to his house, where I received a phone call from my mom. She informed me we were going to see Huckleberry Finn at Glynn Academy that night and suggested I invite Rowdy. He agreed, and Brandi was not happy on the car ride back to my moms. (Love you girl 🥹)

That evening, my mom, sister Taylor, Brandi, and I arrived at the high school, spotting Rowdy’s GTO parked out front. Inside, Rowdy found himself sandwiched between my mom and me, with Brandi and Taylor on my other side. Halfway through the play, Brandi and Taylor grew restless and vocal about wanting to leave. My mom, sensing the tension, suggested we switch seats. She gave Taylor and Brandi a mild scolding and then declared that Rowdy could bring me home later while she dealt with my disgruntled companions.

Little did my mom, myself, or Rowdy, know that this would mark the beginning of our love story. From a spontaneous match on Bumble to an unforgettable evening at a high school play, fate had woven our paths together in the most unexpected and delightful way.

I used to make fun of people going on dates with someone they met on an app. “Can’t find a boyfriend in real life?”, I would tell my sister, unaware about how I would eat those words. Right at the time that I was okay with eating sushi by myself for the duration of my days, I swiped right for the last time. In the war-zone that is the dating world, I got lucky bumbling my way to a woman who used (and still uses) perfect grammar and punctuation. Hook. After making the connection that I cut the hair of one of her Mother’s close friends, we had agreed to meet to see a band playing that next day. It was Fat Tuesday, after all.

Walking up the steps into that semi-crowded bar, I was nervous for obvious reasons, but good reasons. To share in my nervousness I decided it best to sneak up on the long, curly haired girl and scareprise her. Of course she caught me before I could sneak attack her, that precognition would not change in the time that we would later spend together.

She was perfect, right there, she was perfect. Denim jacket. Big smile. And of course, fashionable and flattering bangs. Oh, and rings! So many fun rings! She counts them habitually, incase you were wondering. Multiple for each finger. She was fun and interesting and thought the same things about the band that night that I had thought. Line. She was down visiting that weekend from where she lived, five hours north, in Atlanta. Big city girl had wanted to be closer to her family here in the Golden Isles, and I got to meet her at just the right time. When that band out of Savannah had stopped for the night, Madison and I decided we weren’t quite done getting to know one another.

She and I dragged along her best friend to the next spot over so I could show them my Dad’s local karaoke plaque. After shutting down the street for the night, she admitted that she wasn’t seeking out anything romantic, especially not off of a dating app. She kissed me as she was being called away to “Get home already!” (thanks, Brandi). Damn near skipped home after that. I probably did for a few steps, at least. Sinker.

The next day we went to see Huckleberry Finn performed at our local high-school, Go Terrors. Accompanied by her mother, younger sister, and still slightly annoyed best friend, Madison and I giggled together all night. Apparently I got my green-light from the board of trustees. After the privilege of getting to drive her home, (thank God the GTO started), we waited for what seemed like forever for her to make the big move down here. We haven’t left each other alone since. Tried to, just can’t.

Five years and five fluffy animals later, l get to marry the love of my life. The woman who couldn’t possibly be more full of life, and she chose to love me. How lucky can a guy get? Thank you, babe, for catching me when I tried to be scary. Keep it up, youre gonna need to be just yourself to get through all the other adventures we’re going to have. I know you’re as excited as I am.

I LOVE YOU, MADISON. LETS GET MARRIED!!!