We met on Instagram. I knew who she was. I had seen her a time or two before whenever I came up to Elgin. I saw her profile on Instagram and added her, and she added me back. On her birthday (2023), I messaged her "Happy Birthday" and she replied a simple "Thank you." Then a couple months later, I found more reasons to message her. We started talking a little more and a little more.

We met "in-person" for the first time in August 2023 at a Lowe's parking lot (of all places.) We saw each other at a church service. I asked her to go on a date then that's where I told her that I liked her.

We starting asking counsel of our authorities and praying about the relationship more, then in December 2023, I made it official and asked her to be my girlfriend. In April 2024 at her birthday is when I told her that I loved her.

We dated for a year and got engaged at the same spot and the same weekend a year before that I asked her to be my girlfriend.

How I knew Susie was "the one"... When times got real hard... when my mom first had her stroke, Susie was there for me; when things got hard for Susie, she never gave up; then when my mom passed away, she was still there for me. That's how I knew. She didn't run away, she didn't abandon me when things got hard.