In December 2021, Sammy Jo was celebrating Christmas with some friends while Jay was at his apartment. Both were signed up for Bumble, where Jay’s profile talked about his nerdy interests, while Sammy Jo promised matches a cheesy pickup line.

The first messages between them went like this:

Sammy Jo: “Do you know how much a polar bear weighs?”

Jay: “And here I thought you were going to give me a BAD pickup line.”

Sammy Jo: “Well actually, female polar bears weigh 330 to 550 pounds, and male polar bears weigh about twice that. I was just trying to give you some fun polar bear facts!”

They talked nonstop on Bumble every day after that, and on December 26 finally had their first date. Sammy Jo took Jay to see the Huntsville Havoc, where the deal was she would pay for the tickets if he bought the popcorn. By the time the third period rolled around, there was still no popcorn! He asked her if he could take her to dinner at West End Grill instead of getting popcorn.

They sat at West End Grill and talked nonstop for a couple of hours, before Sammy Jo had to call it a night because she had to work the next day. She took Jay home where they agreed to have a second date.

The next month, they talked nonstop every day, going on fun dates and enjoying each other’s company. On January 30, they were going to dinner at Sammy Jo’s sister’s house. When they showed up, her sister kept referring to Jay as ‘JoJo’s Boyfriend!’ Later that night in bed, Sammy Jo apologized to Jay for being referred to as her boyfriend, and he said he “didn’t mind the title.”

Their first year of dating brought SIX weddings, a trip to Disney World, a few concerts, lots of Six Flags trips, and road trips to Virginia, Tennessee, and Arkansas.

Their second year dating brought three more weddings, more concerts, and more road trips.

Their third year dating brought one more wedding, one concert, a Disney World trip, and many road trips including lots of Georgia visits, and a trip to Kansas!

In December of 2024, Jay and Sammy Jo were busy every weekend with trips , events, and visits to various friends and family members. On December 21, they were getting ready to go to the Bookish Ball in Huntsville. This was a formal event based on a book series Sammy Jo had read earlier in the year. Sammy Jo was running around the house cleaning and getting ready. As she was rushing out the door (and kept running away from Jay), he finally got ahead of her in the garage and asked her to marry him.

They celebrated by calling friends and family, going to the Bookish Ball, and finishing with a dinner at Waffle House…. Because who doesn’t use Waffle House to celebrate big occasions?

They are so excited to celebrate their life with all of their loved ones in November 2025!