After enough disappointments, I had started to believe that maybe love just wasn't meant for me. Then I met her, and everything I thought I knew changed. Our first date at Reve Coffee was supposed to be just another conversation over coffee. Instead, it became the beginning of my favorite story. Hours slipped by so easily that it felt like we'd known each other forever. For the first time in a long time, I left a date excited instead of uncertain. As we spent more time together, we wandered through Jungle Gardens, laughing, exploring, and making memories out of something as simple as a walk. Every adventure with her reminded me that the best moments aren't about where we are, they're about who we're with. Then came Zydeco dancing lessons. I stumbled over steps and laughed at my mistakes, learning to move together. Looking back, it feels like a mirror of our relationship. We didn't have to be perfect, we just had to trust each other, keep smiling, and never stop dancing. She came into my life at the exact moment I had almost stopped believing in love. Yet, she turned my doubts into hope, my loneliness into peace, and my ordinary days into something I genuinely look forward to. She is the woman I fell in love with, my best friend, and the person I want beside me for every chapter still to come. If I had given up just one day earlier, I might have missed the greatest blessing of my life. I thank God every day for bringing us together.

I still remember the forceful and seemingly random declaration from a friend - "You NEED to meet Anthony!" Then thinking, 1.) who is Anthony? and 2.) no thanks, I'm good. I was tired of let downs and heartbreak and focused on my healing journey. Little did I know, he was about to supercharge that journey and demonstrate the true definition of love in a way I had never experienced. At first we talked on the phone - for hours. Without knowing what the other even looked like. "This is different," I thought to myself. "In the best way possible." By the time we had our first date, he had already begun to wear down my walls. I couldn't yet admit it to myself, but I was actually excited to meet him! He didn't disappoint. From the thoughtful, funny sign he made to wait for me, to the deep questions and sharing, to the effortless laughter, I had never felt so comfortable with someone right away. It was almost unexplainable. The closest I can get is that he felt like home. By date 3, I didn't know how I knew, but I knew it would be forever. Forever was uncharted territory for me but as he continued to court me, he showed me over and over again - with the patience of a Saint - that I was safe with him. That I could give him my heart and he would always take excellent care it. As we've both grown together, he has changed my life in so many ways and consistently reflected the love of Christ. Getting to marry him is truly a gift from God.