It seems cliche, but part of me had almost given up on the dating scene. I had been single for almost four years, and when I did step back out there, it was met with disaster.

In a world where ghosting and sexting seemed to be "the thing" I knew I didn't fit in. I had been on Facebook Dating for months to no avail. The few dates that did happen ended with no sparks. I began to feel I was just wasting my time.

At the middle of March, I was scrolling through FB Dating once again thinking to myself "This is it; why am I still looking?"

As I was about to put my phone down, the profile of this super cute guy popped up. Of course, I thought "What a hottie." But as I read his profile, I noticed he worked for Ridgecrest...I liked that; I felt like he had to be a special soul to work for the nursing home. My hope was he was someone with some depth and character. So just like in those cheesy Hallmark movies, I took a deep breath, said a little prayer, and sent a nonchalant greeting. Surprisingly, he responded pretty quickly. Our conversation was light and pleasant; we messaged back and forth until he had to head to bed. Honestly, I was pretty excited.

You can imagine how disappointed I was when the next day I saw our conversation was no longer available on FB Dating. I assumed he blocked me for whatever reason. I had grown tired of trying to figure it out, and after that, I had sworn off FB Dating...making a mental note to delete it after work.

But life as a single Mom can be very busy, so I never got around to getting rid of the app; however, looking back it was all a part of God's perfect will. A few days later I received a message notification, and once again the cutie from Ridgecrest was back in my DMs. LOL.

Of course, I wanted to know what happened and where he went, and that's when I began to see not only the depth he had but also just how similar our stories were. Our conversations touched on just about everything from childhood to love life to parenting. We both deeply knew the sting of being mistreated by past partners; it was almost eerie how we similar our personalities were.

On March 30th I agreed to go on a date with him, meeting him for coffee at Starbucks after work. He greeted me with a hug, two long stem red roses, and then asked me to open my car door (which seemed odd at first). He explained how he remembered lilacs were my first favorite flower and decided to buy me a lilac bush which he wanted to place in my vehicle. Visiting with him it felt like we had known each other forever. At the end of the date, I asked him when he wanted to go out again. He responded, "I was hoping we could grab dinner tonight if that's okay." That was an easy answer for me.

That Saturday he showed up at my job with breakfast and coffee for me...a tradition he continues even now. One of our dates was attending Easter Sunday service. He invited me to his bowling banquets and showed me off to his buddies like I was a queen. He beamed as he introduced me. I remember being so touched and caught off guard by his sweet spirit. I planned his first picnic date at VanderVeer Park. Took him to his first Chicago Bears game. We've shared A LOT of firsts!

For a while I had forgotten just how fun dating could be; Mike changed that. His playful ways and contagious laugh made me look forward to the next adventure.

And I remember falling farther in love with him as I watched him play with his and my daughter. He twirled my little girl around my parent's living room while singing "Good Day." She laughed in full joy as they danced, and I knew he was MY ONCE IN A LIFETIME.

Openly affectionate and tender-hearted, Mike showed me how a selfless, giving partner should be. He took the time to become vulnerable and let me into places that he had kept guarded. He looked over my needs and placed me as the priority. He exceled at making all the little things so extra special and genuinely went out of his way to guard my heart while understanding my fears. All of it seemed too good to be true; I wanted to keep waiting for the other shoe to drop (I think he felt the same when it came to my demonstrations of love & care)...BUT that's when God reminds you why things are WORTH THE WAIT. In a few short months, Michael restored my hope in what a good man is. He reminded me that I'm WORTHY to be loved and BE LOVED WELL.

Truth be told I could write about our love story for hours, and maybe one day I will. But the best way to conclude my writing is by saying I cannot wait to be Mrs. Wells. I love you, Michael, with all that I am.

M&M

Wedding Day

Ceremony

Reception