The Jewish saying bashert (in Yiddish באַשערט) means destiny or soulmates. Everyone that knows Ian and Samantha know they are meant for each other. It was inevitable for them to meet and fall in love so easily. They met right when they were meant to and are truly are bashert, meant to be.

They met in the modern way … through the Hinge dating app. Samantha knew who Ian was from Friendship Circle, but he had no idea who she was… yet. They started messaging each other on Friday, January 16 2023. Their connection was strong from messages alone. By Monday, Ian asked Samantha for her number to continue talking.

A week later they had their first date at Blaze Pizza. The first thing Samantha said to Ian was that I knew his sister, Aislinn. Ian told her, “That’s good... because she knows good people.” From that moment on, standing in line, their nerves were calm and they started laughing and connecting immediately. They had such a fun, relaxed time!! So naturally, she tried to friend-zone him. *insert facepalm here*

Samantha was not ready to date seriously again, but knew she didn’t want to lose Ian. Ian continued to show up, continued to unconditionally care for Samantha, and would remind her that consistent thoughtful actions speak as loud as words.

On their first “friend” date, they went out to eat and then took a walk at Heritage Park. Conversation flowed so easily and the silence felt natural. By their third time hanging out, Samantha pushed away her fears of dating seriously and asked if they could try “going on dates again” for real. By our fourth time hanging out (and already so easily merging into each other’s lives), they were hooked. Samantha still had a broken right hand and Ian still was battling intense allergies… but nonetheless, they were in love.

On April 7th 2023, Ian took Samantha to the Cranbrook Science Museum and to lunch and asked her to be his girlfriend. From then on, they were on a fast track to get to know each other, to get to know each other’s families, and to have deep conversations about compatibility. Neither of them were playing around and never had reason to question each other's intentions. They moved in together that summer.

A year after meeting, on January 27th 2024, they had a flood in their basement. Samantha was overwhelmed and did not want to go on a date to the zoo the next day. On January 28th 2024, Ian insisted it would be fun, even though it was raining again that morning. Samantha’s sister and brother in law, Brittany and Aaron, even decided to make the drive over and go to the zoo with them. After hours of being at the zoo exploring in the cold, they ended up at the butterfly garden. Little known to Samantha, Ian had a plan all along to ask her to be his wife “forever and ever.” After many moments of pure shock, Samantha said yes.

That is the way that forever began! A forever of friendship, of laughs, of unconditional love. Samantha and Ian have continued to fall in love for the way that they value, respect, support, prioritize, and show up for each other.

Both of them and their flaws, not realizing their “different” was their beautiful all along. ❤️