Joseph and Suzanne met in the new old-fashioned way...on a dating app! Hinge, to be specific. Both of them had been on and off different dating apps for years, meeting people and going on dates but without much lasting success. Right around Thanksgiving 2022, Suzanne got a message from a match on Hinge. It was Joseph! Suzanne was surprised because she had first seen and swiped right on Joseph's profile months before. She had since forgotten about him because nothing else happened. But his opening line was asking which Harry Potter book was her favorite, and as a massive HP fan, Suzanne was intrigued.

They chatted on the app for several days, and Suzanne was pleasantly surprised at how easy Joseph was to talk to and how frequently he sent messages (not at all common for these apps). While both were home for Thanksgiving, Joseph asked Suzanne if she would like to go to dinner when she got back to Dallas. She said yes, and it was a date!

On November 30, Suzanne and Joseph met for dinner at Gloria's (which come to find out was a go-to date spot for Joseph). They talked for hours, and Suzanne found it a good sign that she didn't want the date to end. She left feeling encouraged and eager to see Joseph again.

Joseph asked Suzanne out again soon after, and before long it had been a few dates. One Saturday, Suzanne found herself unexpectedly free that evening and asked Joseph if he'd like to get together. They tried to go ice skating at the Galleria, but it seemed like everyone in Dallas had had the same idea. So they waited for a while with mambo taxis at Mi Cocina and researched different ice skating options. When they found one in Farmers Branch, they headed that way. This quickly became one of Joseph and Suzanne's favorite and most memorable dates.

Christmas and New Year's passed, and Suzanne was impressed that Joseph was still consistently pursuing her, initiating plans, and regularly communicating. She could tell he was different and by now was thinking things were heading somewhere. Sure enough, Joseph asked Suzanne to be his girlfriend on January 18, and she gladly accepted.

As the months went on, Joseph and Suzanne spent more and more time together, until they saw each other almost every day. They took some fun trips to Fredericksburg, Maui, and Nashville, and even met each other's families. On March 15, Suzanne finally told Joseph something she'd been feeling for a while: "I love you." To which he responded, "I love you too. Finally!"

By May, Joseph and Suzanne were beginning to talk about the long-term future of their relationship. They started a pre-marital class in June at a church to guide them through essential topics and conversations for marriage. They were pleased to find themselves on the same page about everything and felt even more reassured about the future.

In September, Joseph took Suzanne shopping for engagement rings and then went with her to Aspen on her family's vacation, where he fit in as if he had been a part of the family all along.

About a month later, unbeknownst to Suzanne, Joseph snuck off to Abilene for the day to meet Suzanne's parents for lunch and ask them an important question. He jokes that they wrote him a check for her dowry right then and there. In other words, they were thrilled to give their blessing for him to marry Suzanne.

Suzanne was beginning to suspect a proposal was coming soon, but didn't expect anything before their one-year anniversary on November 30. Joseph had several secret plans on the calendar in December that easily could have been covers. But as Suzanne and Joseph spent Thanksgiving in Abilene with her family, she had no idea just how close that proposal was.

Suzanne's mom had been preparing her that they needed to take a family Christmas card photo while everyone was together for Thanksgiving. This was not at all unusual, so Suzanne thought nothing of it. So when Suzanne's sister and brother-in-law arrived the day after Thanksgiving, they agreed on Jacob's Dream at ACU (Suzanne's alma mater) as the location for said photo.

Joseph and Suzanne drove separately to ACU, planning to head straight back to Dallas from there (or so Suzanne thought). When they got to Jacob's Dream, they walked around to look for a good spot to take the photo. There were some other people there with the same idea, and Suzanne also noticed a couple who had a nice, professional camera who appeared to be taking shots of the sculpture. When she and Joseph got close to them, that's when Joseph dropped to one knee. He explained those photographers were actually there to capture the moment. Joseph recited some very sweet sentiments (none of which Suzanne could process), and asked her to marry him. Suzanne was in shock and totally surprised, but she managed to pull it together enough to say an emphatic "Yes!"

Her family had been hanging back and hiding nearby and eventually came over to join. Joseph's parents had also driven in for the occasion. Suzanne was overjoyed that Joseph proposed in her hometown and that they could be surrounded by family right away. Joseph did a wonderful job pulling off the surprise, and Suzanne is still amazed that no one gave anything away.

Suzanne and Joseph are so thankful to God for bringing them together and being with them on their journeys to each other. They are excited for this season of engagement and can't wait to get married and celebrate with all their favorite people!