Tyler - 1st Time is the Charm

In December 2018, I was at home getting ready to move to NYC. I heard about this dating app, called "Hinge", that a lot of people in the city used. I thought, "I can use this to go on dates to get free meals." Within two minutes of creating my account, I received my first message, from a guy named Sam.

Our conversation started by him asking me what mountain I was standing on, and we proceeded to talk about how we both wanted to live out West one day. We texted for a couple weeks and I told my friend "I have a weird feeling I might date this guy." Everyone thought I was a little too excited.

Our first date was chaotic. I was so nervous I couldn't find the restaurant. When I saw Sam step out of the cab to meet me, I thought "wow he's really cute" and then proceeded to say "Hey Sam! I can't find this f**king restaurant!" Turns out it was right behind me.

While most of our first date was a blur, from the minute I started talking to Sam I felt at home. I overshared, cracked terrible jokes, and even laughed during our first kiss. But he took me in with all of my quirks and hangry moments, and over the years we've built a beautiful, adventurous relationship.

Sam - Belk Bowl Champions

Tyler was not my first match on Hinge. I was in Costa Rica when I came across the profile of a pretty girl on a mountain and I came up with the smooth line of "Where is that?"

I asked her out by betting a dinner on the UVA/South Carolina 2018 Belk Bowl. After UVA dominated 28-0, and the bill came, Tyler explained that she had no money, and I was happy to take the check. On our second date, she walked me through her fear of shopping carts and deer, which somehow I found endearing.

It has been an amazing ride with Tyler by my side, and I am excited to see what the future holds, even if she is "a pain in my ass" as I told her during the proposal.