We each had joined Match.com because, how else are you supposed to meet people and see what's out there? But wow... just wow.

The day I signed in to remove my profile and delete my account, I happened to see a handsome man that hadn't popped up before. A quick glance at his profile sparked my interest: must have a love of God and family. And he lived in Wake Forest too! One message was all it took.

We started messaging through match and quickly found we had a lot in common. Except for running. Who runs that much? Shaun, you need to explain!

So, he said that he would, but perhaps over coffee? Or would I prefer something more adventurous. (This was Covid time, let's not forget. Simply MEETING a new person seemed pretty adventurous!) We agreed that a long hike, in an unseen location, with someone I hadn't actually met yet seemed like just the thing to do in a heatwave in July!

What should have taken an hour or two took closer to 5. Between popsicles (how did he keep them unmelted!!) and a night cap of milk and homemade chocolate chip cookies, we both knew this could be a thing. A second date on the Fourth of July had us both seeing fireworks and the triple threat date of homemade mojitos sealed the deal. This was the beginning of our story.

That hike changed their lives.

The hike that changed our lives in the beginning also changed our lives almost 3 years after. Let’s start my story a little while before then.

I knew I would be putting a ring on Sandy’s finger before our 3-year anniversary, but I did not know when. It all started with me looking at rings, which is a hard thing to do!

A few comments from Sandy when one of my friends got engaged and some recommendations from a best friend led me to the perfect ring. I put it into my safe until the perfect

time. On May 6 th , 2023, we woke up early and before all the hustle and bustle of our Saturday activities I suggested we go for a hike around the same reservoir we had our first date. This was not unusual because we have gone hiking there many times. But this morning was going to be different. I was confident Sandy would say yes, but still, you never know. We headed off on our hike and had some great conversation but my mind was just going over the speech I was going to give her very shortly.

On our way back my heart started to speed up.

We have a tradition that every time we go on this hike, at the end we stand where we first met and have a kiss. Well, this time we both started getting into the car and I said "Hey, we have

not gone to our spot!" While she walked around the car, I slipped the ring box into my packet.

Instead of a quick kiss at our spot, this time I held her close, and the speech begin. (She told me later that while I was telling her all these nice things, she was thinking "man, this would be an amazing time for him to propose to me!") She didn't realize what was going on until I slightly pushed away from our embrace, dropped down to one knee, and asked her to marry me.

She was so surprised that she pulled me up off my feet and kissed me! The thing is, I still had not heard

the answer to my question. After what seemed like forever, she finally officially said yes.

Who knew one little hike during Covid would change our lives? I guess this is what happens when you leave it all in God’s hands.