It was 2019, and I was living in London. I had been on the dating apps and had a mindset of meeting as many new people as I could while living there. That same year my dad was diagnosed with cancer, and I was also coming home as much as possible to be with my dad during his treatments. I was able to come home for that entire month of December. My dad was having surgery, and I also wanted to be home for Christmas. I kept my dating apps active while I was home and had a message from Mitchell. He noticed I lived in London and asked for recommendations as he would be visiting that following April with friends. He was confused about how we connected, and I explained I was in KC but lived in London. Once he knew I was in KC, he asked if I’d be interested in meeting up to go ice skating. I said yes and we met up on December 23, 2019. I remember he talked a lot about his family and mentioned they had just been in town for a Tuba Christmas thing at Union Station. (These kinds of meetups are always a bit awkward, but it was definitely not the most awkward experience I’d had so far.) We had a lot in common and quickly realized we had similar upbringings, both came from relatively big families, and although not much in terms of money, we had a whole lot in terms of joy and love. After ice skating we went to a nearby bar and talked some more. I left thinking “really nice guy. I hope he finds someone great”.

After flying back home (to London) after the holidays, Mitchell continued to text and call. It was around Valentine’s Day, and I remember getting some sort of message from the Royal Mail telling me I had to pay an import tax to receive a parcel. I wasn’t expecting anything but out of curiosity paid the 33 pounds anyway. To my surprise, Mitchell had sent me a Garmin watch, and a very sweet letter… one part said “While we were at the bar after skating, I don’t remember what you were talking about, because I was just enamored. I remember thinking “this is the kind of woman I want to marry”.” I was a bit taken aback by both the letter and the gift as I had just met the guy once, was still going on dates with other guys, and even still talking to another guy I had met in KC. I called my parents to share with them the letter, and shortly after, I went on a day trip with my friends to Cambridge. I remember sharing with all of them about this letter and the watch he gave me. Even now, my friends give me such a hard time about how annoyed I was by this mushy letter. I was definitely not under the impression my relationship with Mitchell was anything more than friends. He continued to write and call and mentioned to me he was feeling unsettled as there was another girl he met. He asked me my thoughts, and I remember thinking how obvious the answer. I told him he should continue to date the other girl since she’s local, and he likes her. Mitchell told me he needed to continue to pray about it and then later came back to tell me that he decided he was only going to pursue me. (!!!!)

Come March 2020, COVID was on the rise and Mitchell’s trip to London was canceled. We were starting to work from home more in London, but the mandates weren’t as strict in the beginning. I was really craving adventure and just wanted to travel. I had heard good things about Turkey and was thinking I would visit. Mitchell and I found that Turkey was one of the few countries we could both visit without having to quarantine, take COVID tests, etc. We decided to meet in Turkey in August 2020. Mitchell flew first to London, and I met him in the airport, and then we flew together to Turkey. Given that most of our relationship at this point had been on the phone, it was a big adjustment to be together in person (at least for me). I knew my heart really liked who this person was, but it was way different being in person. Sometimes your heart and your mind don’t always align.

Turkey was an incredible experience for both of us, but I’d be lying if I said it was all sunshine and roses. We had our ups and downs. Traveling abroad with anyone can be a challenge. You really get to know a person when you travel internationally, and you also quickly realize all the things they do that get on your nerves. I am very much a planner and type A person. I was also coming from London where we had to have bookings for anything and everything during COVID. Mitchell on the other hand is very much a fly-by-the-seat-of-his-pants kind of guy. He’s happy with most everything and is, well, a little bit messy at times. I remember we had a day where we were just off, and I was thinking after this trip I could not wait to go our separate ways. I shared my thoughts with Mitchell at dinner that night, and he did the same with me. We had to have a little bit of a come-to-Jesus moment and needed to decide if we were either going to make it work or just move on. Mitchell was pretty persistent but also very blunt to make sure I knew there were frustrations on both sides. I think it was at this point we decided we would be exclusive.

Fast forward to May of 2021. I’m still in strict lockdown in London, but Mitchell was determined to get to me to help me move back to the U.S. I think he took something like 6 COVID tests to get to me and then had to quarantine for five days once he got to London. The weekend he arrived was the first weekend they lifted travel restrictions within the UK so I left to go to Wales with my friend Beth and left him in my flat to quarantine by himself. Mitchell was a huge help during the move. He helped me sell what I could, give away what I couldn’t, and clean. Once we finished packing, we headed out to Scotland to explore Isle of Skye. It’s remains one of my favorite trips even though several things were still closed from COVID.

There’s so much I could share about our story, and the faithfulness of God amidst it all. I think God knew I needed someone who was going to be patient, consistent, and persistent, and Mitchell was just that. I have yet to figure out why he became so smitten with me so quickly, but I’m sure glad he did. Those that know him already know all the things that make him special, but for those of you that don’t – Mitchell is so good at loving people. He is a servant, and when he prays, I often hear him pray to be able to love others well. He is nothing I imagined for myself, but he is everything I need. Through these last few years, I have learned the importance of letting go what we think is best for ourselves and leaning into what God has for us. My story has been far from perfect, but it has been incredible nonetheless. I think there is so much beauty and value in being single, and I am so proud of my journey as a single person. I think finding contentment in who you are, alone (and in Christ), is the key to finding joy in relationship. To all my single friends, I’m proud of you and there is nothing wrong with being single - enjoy it! To all my married friends, I look forward to calling you for advice in the future!

Throughout middle school and high school, I had never been “lucky” with dating. I had great friendships with females both from school and church, but it always seemed when I was interested in someone, they were interested in someone else or vice versa. This continued throughout college at Wichita State. I had the desire for a future spouse and prayed continuously for one, but it just didn’t seem to be happening.

I moved to Kansas City in April 2015 after feeling “grown out” of the Wichita area. It was great being close to family and friends and plugged into my local church, but I was not being mentally engaged with my new full time position and felt like the dating scene was difficult. Kansas City was definitely a God-given opportunity, not only because of an amazing job with a fantastic company, but also because I was able to spend valuable time with my grandmother before her passing in the fall of 2015. While Kansas City was both new and larger than Wichita, I still struggled with dating and was reluctant to try online dating feeling there was a stigma with it, but I also realized it was my choice (and responsibility) to determine how any relationship developed, regardless if we connected through mutual friends, common interests, or online.

Navigating the world of online dating was encouraging at times, but also frustrating. I’d been on a handful of dates, but knew they would just be friendships at most. It was December of 2019 when I came across Amy’s profile online. I was a bit confused at first, but also intrigued (I hate not understanding why or how something is happening). Most all her pictures and responses were regarding UK, but here I was in the middle of the US seeing them, and I knew I hadn’t set my locational boundaries that wide. But she was cute, and I was curious, and I had recently been planning a trip to Ireland, England, and Italy with friends, so I asked Amy for

suggestions for us while we were there. We continued to talk and when I realized she was in KC at the time, I asked to go ice skating with me. I thought, worst case scenario, I’d have a connection for my time in England. We met and skated for a couple of hours and recognized we had a lot in common from our families to most importantly our faith. While extending our date and conversation at a nearby bar, I remember thinking “I’d like to marry a woman like this”, but didn’t know how that could work or what it would look like, but knew I wanted to keep in contact. Amy and I had been talking daily, which I had taken as a sign she was open and interested in getting to know me more.

About the same time I connected with another girl and she seemed really great too. As I got to know each of them better, I didn’t think it was fair to myself, or either of them to try and date both and began praying and asking friends for prayer of discernment in how to navigate these relationships. I knew Amy was not as confident about our relationship as I felt, but I also felt this was where I was being led, and that God was at work in the relationship. As Valentine's Day approached, I remember a conversation with Amy about exercising and working out and while I knew I couldn’t be there to workout with her, Garmin had just released a new watch with animated workout schedules, and I thought it’d be a sweet gift to send her. I also included a letter telling her I had been praying for us and how she had so many of the qualities I would like in my future wife: independent, caring, driven, intelligent, ambitious, adventurous, and clearly gorgeous.

COVID caused my European trip with friends to be canceled, but I still wanted to see Amy again and now had travel credits, so on a suggestion from her friends, and being one of the few places without travel restrictions, we agreed to meet in Turkey and explore Istanbul, Kuşadası (Ephesus), and Bodrum. This was not an easy trip. We both had very different expectations of how to do things, and it seemed like we were frequently frustrated with each other, but we still had great moments and times together as we learned how each of us operated differently and what we needed or expected from each other. We were still navigating a new relationship but both felt we either needed to commit to each other or recognize this just wasn’t meant to be, but something in each of us wanted to continue to pursue each other, so we did. Amy returned to London, and I to the US, and COVID continued to force more and more restrictions and lockdowns, but we continued to communicate daily and enjoyed waking up or going to bed with little marco polo messages to each other. I was excited to have Amy moving back to the States, but knew it would be a huge task alone, so I set aside my personal requirement of attending a Premier League match if ever in England, and took a handful of COVID tests and quarantined to help her move back. We were fortunate enough to experience some of England and also the Isle of Skye and Edinborough, Scotland, together which didn’t make up for all the travel opportunities ruined by COVID, but did provide another wonderful opportunity for us to have yet another adventure.

Moving Amy back to Kansas not only allowed for much more time together, but I watched as Amy both thrived professionally and navigated her social relationships with elegance and intention. As I observed her stretch and go outside of her comfort zone, it was more and more difficult for me to see a future without her, and I knew I would ask her to be my bride. I love her honesty, integrity, and drive for the best both for herself and those around her.

Having Christ as the center of our relationship has been key to our success, and I recognize all the ways Amy shines His light not only to me, but her family and friends, and in her workplace. We both seek adventure (although probably in different forms initially) and have been blessed with opportunities to adventure together, and I look forward to the many more God has in store for us.