The backstory is important to understanding where we are now. As of May 2018, I was 34 years old and, by choice, hadn’t dated in six years. I learned contentment in my singleness through my relationship with Jesus Christ and had invested heavily in a select group of close friends (see my wedding party). When Brianna and I did meet, she found out I only had 14 contacts saved in my phone, half family and half friends. However, in the spring of that year before we met, I knew that I was in a place where I was ready to meet the woman that I would spend the rest of my life with. So one day in April when a co-worker asked if they could do anything else for me I said, “Ya, find me a find me a date for Friday night,” and the ball got rolling.
Only a month earlier had I moved to Colorado and also began practicing nursing, so I wasn’t in a hurry to take on much more, but the prospect of dating a cute blonde that I could go on adventures with and would challenge me to grow in my Faith was enticing. I know the aforementioned qualities of her because my co-worker had asked me what I was looking for in a woman and I had said I was looking for and outdoorsy girl who was serious about her faith (that and I found out her name and stalked her on Facebook ;) ).
So I get her number, call her with sweaty palms, leave a message with a stuttering voice. She calls back, and we talk for hours (literally); two days later we go on a blind date with a couple of her close friends, and at the end of the night I ask to see her again. Over the next few days we talk for hours more. Three days later, we go to a bike shop/bar and watch (don’t watch) the NBA finals, talk hours more, next week we go rock climbing, days later we go eat burritos, talk nursing, go on hikes, go to church, laugh, take pictures, go for bike rides, go camping, meet family, go on road trips, meet friends, start building the tiny house, and the entire time I had known that this was it, she is the one I want to marry and share everything with. She is my partner. I want to do everything and go through everything with her. Good/bad, pretty/ugly, feast/famine, highs/lows, knowing that through it all she helps me to be a better person, a better Christian, a better son/brother/friend/nurse/man/and soon husband. Thank God and thank you Brianna, I love you!
