How We Met
Love at First Swipe: Our story follows along in the footsteps of a modern society love story. Two words: online dating. Yes, we met on none-other than. . . Bumble. If you aren’t familiar with how this app works, let me explain. You pick 5 of your best lookin’ pictures (and if you’re Kyle – a clever little bio about your dog….Girls LOVE dogs) and you go through a selection of men or women within a set radius from you and determine who you want to “Swipe Right” for (which means you may be interested) or “Swipe Left” (which means not so much). Now, this app is a little different than the ever popular, Tinder. Here, the girl has to make the first move and initiate the conversation. So, on September 18, 2016, I (Abby) was in the car riding home from South Bend when I decided to download the app. Low and behold, there he was. This super cute dog dad staring at me on the other side of the screen. I mustered up the courage to say hi and our first date was six days later. I can remember driving to Los Amigos on my way to meet him on September 24 and on the phone with one of my girlfriends saying, “I’m going but I know this won’t work out. He lives in Wabash and I live in Indy. That’s too far away”.
But much to my surprise it DID work out and God paved the way for me to work in the same small town as Kyle 3 months later. He pursued me with intentionality, something I had rarely experienced before in the past. It became clear to both of us there was something about our relationship that we never wanted to let go of. Our story is much more than one of just “online dating”. To me, the years, months, and days leading up to meeting Kyle is the greatest proof of God’s unfailing love for us. Looking back (hindsight is so 20/20) it is clear and so evident God was at work in our lives the entire time, molding and shaping us through every moment up until the day we finally met. He used a moment of weakness in us (downloading the app for self-serving satisfaction) and turned it into something amazing. It is just so reassuring to me…..to think every heartbreak, every failed relationship, every great relationship, every lesson learned along the way was not in vain. God will always take our hurting hearts to turn it into something beautiful.
how they asked
September 24, 2017. A day to remember: We talked about getting married for months, but Kyle always led me to believe it wouldn’t be happening anytime too soon. Up until this point, everything in our relationship had happened so easily, so naturally that he didn’t want the proposal to be any different. He didn’t want it to feel forced, and he definitely wanted it to be a surprise (Boy, was it!)
September 24 was already a special day for us because we were excited to celebrate our ONE YEAR anniversary! We had the day planned for at least a month. We had planned to go to church, out to brunch at our favorite little restaurant downtown Wabash (best-wet burritos EVER), then in the evening, we would take it back to where it all began: Los Amigos. During the church service, Kyle checked his watch a few hundred times and left to go to the bathroom a couple times too. Of course, I am oblivious to the fact. Once the service was over (and one more pee for Kyle) we headed downtown to grab a bite to eat at Twenty. Side note: we chose a pew towards the back and sat next to this sweet, old man. The first question he asks us when we sat down? “Are you two married?” to which I responded, “Nope! Not yet!” All the while Kyle is dying inside and wanting to say “just wait a few more hours!”
Looking back, so many things should have led me to believe something was about to happen. Like Kyle taking a different route to get downtown than normal or the fact he parked 2 blocks away (just because you never know how busy it’s going to be down there, ya know?) or just how tightly he gripped my hand on the walk down to the restaurant. Not even when I read “Happy 1 Year Anniversary, Abby” on the theater marquee did I think “he’s about to propose!” (I thought this was just a sweet gesture since we had been so excited to celebrate our anniversary). It wasn’t until Kyle took my hand and lightly pulled (dragged) me to the other side of the marquee when it hit me. He looked up at the sign that read “Will You Marry Me”, got down on one knee and said those four special words that changed our lives forever. He also wishes I would have said yes a little quicker, but I was too busy being stunned, shocked, in disbelief that this was all really happening.
Once I finally got out a YES and Kyle put the ring on my shaky finger, he told me “let’s go see everyone”. “Everyone?” I said. Apparently, the surprises weren’t over just yet, because just as we began to walk to the restaurant we saw two of our sweet friends who had been hiding behind a car capturing the whole thing on camera. Then he led me into the restaurant where a table full of our family and friends were waiting to congratulate us and to enjoy a big ol wet burrito by our sides.
Hands down, the greatest day of our lives so far. However, we know the best is yet to come :-)