Todd’s Version:

Several months into Covid, I figured out that the only way that I was going to meet someone was via a dating app. I was bound and determined to find the perfect woman.
Little did I know, an app wasn't going to quickly end my search. After many months of lackluster dating, I was starting to lose hope. Instead of starting a conversation on the dating app, I began merely sending "likes." This is the lowest amount of effort you can invest on a dating app. Thankfully, Emily responded to my meager like. It didn't take long to realize how much we had in common. Our first conversation lasted hours, and I was hopeful for the first time in a long time. Unfortunately, Emily wasn't as excited as I was. It was going to take some getting to know me before she was convinced that I was worth her while. One evening she called me to vent about what a jerk another guy was. I was very supportive but was secretly overjoyed that she was no longer seeing him. This was my chance. Over the course of the next few weeks, I told her how amazing she was and that I wanted to make things official, but she remained cautious. We continued getting to know each other and on Thanksgiving of 2021, she came over to my house and asked my dog Bentley for permission to date me.

I knew Emily was different from the moment I met her. She is poised, intellectual, funny, and amazingly talented. The longer we dated, the more I came to realize and appreciate how perfect we are for each other. We enjoy going on adventures like mountain biking and skiing or finding the next hidden gem hole in the wall restaurant. We support and encourage each other, and we bring out the best in each other. I really can't believe how lucky we are.

Emily's Version:

In the spring of 2021, I came across Todd's dating profile and ignored it... several times. I saw that he was a musician and everyone knows they’re a lot to handle. Several months later, Todd’s warm smile popped up on Hinge yet again when he sent me a “like.” I was bored, so I started the conversation. After a pleasant chat on the phone, I didn't sense that anything would transpire, but we met in person and went for a walk the following week. Todd wasn't my "type”, but I could tell he was a great guy. I soon began seeing someone else, and every few days Todd would text or call to "check-in" and ask how I was doing. I would politely respond-- or ignore his messages entirely. But his caring demeanor and persistence stood out to me at a time when I needed it most.

One night, I called Todd to vent about breaking things off with a guy I had been seeing. Todd was so empathetic, and we both agreed dating was rough. At the end of our call, he invited me for dinner that weekend at his new home. You know, just as friends. We talked and laughed the entire evening, amazed by how much we had in common. But still, Todd wasn't one of the suave and emotionally unavailable men I was used to dating and therefore he wasn't my "type."

The following week, I called my mom and told her about this "great guy" I was "kind of seeing" and asked her to pray that God would show me whether he was meant to be "just a friend" or more than that. In the meantime, Todd and I continued getting to know each other one adventure after another. (Ask him about our first mountain biking experience.) Todd was patient, kind, and seemingly unbothered as I was internally sorting out my pre-conceived ideas of what dating was supposed to look and feel like. This new relationship wasn’t flashy, it was fun. Our interactions weren’t full of sparks, they were a simmer. Soon we went from "just friends" to "best friends," and I knew I never wanted to lose him. I'm so glad Todd didn't give up when pursuing me was difficult, because he is the type of guy I needed all along. Confident and humble, strong and sensitive, kind but can kill an enemy. (The perfect man, really.) We often remark that we feel so blessed to have had amazing experiences independent of each other. I think this is because of the apparent contrast of our lives "then and now." Life was good then, but it is unimaginably better together. I will forever be grateful God brought me Todd.