I'd be lying if I said that this was the most perfect love story. Boy meets girl and we fall in love... nah that's not quite how it happened. Honey, this was a three year long chase I took my guy on. One thing is for sure, he was persistent and did not give up. I am sooo grateful he didn't. In 2020, Shaquille began sliding in my DMs. I politely declined... *cough cough* a few times! Honestly, not because I didn't think he was attractive. I was just focused on other things and in my own world. For the next year, periodically Shaquille would slide in the DMs to let me know he was still checking for me. I think he was trying to wear me down until I said yes... and it worked. In 2021, We went out for the first time. He was nervous and I was extremely cautious. The first date didn't go as expected for neither him or I. I felt like he wasn't being himself and he felt like I was uninterested. Though both perspectives were true, we decided to remain cordial and not pursue anything further. I thought that was it for Shaquille and I.. Boy, was I wrong!!

A year and a half goes by and he and I reconnect. First of all, he asked me on a date at the end of a church service. I was taken a back at his confidence but intrigued that he was so confident. Y'all know how the saints congregate after service!! I was like "OH? you just know I'm gonna say yes..". Of course, I said yes, with a side eye. He tells me to pick the time and place. July 4th 2023, we went to lunch. Shaquille came knowing what he wanted, who he wanted, and wasn't afraid to let me know he wasn't playing around. I was SCARED, because I knew he wasn't playing either. He meant what he said! Now here we are... a WHOLE MARRIAGE! LOL

In 2019 I saw Stephanie for the first time. Though I found her attractive, I wasn’t “on the market”. About a year went by and Instagram marketed her as “someone I might know”. I followed her and began looking at her page. Though I had seen her around the church, I still knew little to nothing about her. But, based on her page she seemed pretty cool. I began to like her pictures and I eventually began messaging her when she would post stories, to spark conversations. She gave me the run around for a while. At one point she even told me she had some interest in me but had rekindled things with her ex boyfriend. After about a year and a half of randomly messaging her, she allowed me to take her out. I was both excited and anxious at the same time. I decided to take her to a nice restaurant and I put on the good cologne! After the date, she thanked me for taking her out and said she enjoyed it. The next day, she told me she wasn’t ready for a relationship and I was hurt. For almost a year, I barely said anything to her (Childish, I know). Long story short, I made my way back around to asking her out again, and a year later I asked her to marry me.