We’re getting married!

We first matched with each other on an online dating site June 13, 2021. I had only been on Upward for three days when we matched together. When I first saw him on the app, I thought he was WAY out of my league and wouldn't be interested, but I couldn't help but like him because he was SOOO HANDSOME and he seemed to have a humble spirit about him. Once we started messaging each other, I was super comfortable and knew this could go somewhere. He asked me if I was comfortable with him giving me his number, so we could communicate easier 8 days after we had started messaging. We had our first FaceTime call about a week later, and were on the phone for nearly 4 hours! I was a nervous wreck before the FaceTime call, pacing back and forth and checking my hair and makeup every 15 seconds. Once I accepted the call, all nerves melted away! It was less than 2 weeks after our FaceTime call that he came to Greenville for the first time. We met outside Tupelo Honey in downtown Greenville, he hugged me, took my hand to start walking, and the rest is history!

Working so many hours at the hospital, I never thought that I would be so lucky nor have the time to pursue a relationship. After many months of deep prayer of finding the perfect woman for me, God placed Rachel in my path. I was only on Upward for a little under a month, when I was immediately starstruck by how genuine she was. She was everything that I prayed for and more! She was in a league of her own by her natural beauty, but her inner beauty was what stuck out the most to me. She carried herself with dignity, humility, integrity, and purity. All the traits that I was looking for! My first initial impression of her was how natural our conversations were. I felt the need to FaceTime her because I did not think she could be real. I honestly thought I was being scammed. During our first FaceTime call, I felt that her pictures did not do her justice. I was adamant to meet her in person right away! I made the effort to take a few days off to drive to Greenville to see her. We were going to meet at Tupelo Honey, a favorite restaurant of hers, when I was feeling extremely nervous. I wanted to make a great first impression! When I saw her standing outside of Tupelo Honey, I started to sneak up behind her as if to surprise her, only to be completely awestruck by how beautiful she was when she turned around. After we ate, we took a leisurely stroll through downtown to Falls Park. While we were there, we sat on a swing in the shade from the summer sun and talked about our likes, our dislikes, and everything else we had in common. And from that day on, I was hooked!

We had agreed months ago that we wanted to get dressed up for our one year anniversary. If anyone knows me well, they know I love to get dressed up, especially since Christopher came into the picture. My sister Natalie and I found the perfect red dress a couple weeks prior, and she also agreed to do my makeup that morning. We went to Tupelo Honey, and sat at our exact same table that we did a year ago! Our table is table 61❤️ Lunch was so good (as always), then we decided to drive to Falls Park since my feet were hurting from my shoes. When we got to Falls Park, we wanted to sit at our same swing where we kissed for the first time. Upon arrival, someone was already sitting there. I thought no big deal, we can sit at the bench close by, and wait until they left. Well, Christopher was getting so upset that they would not leave the swing!! I had never seen him like that, because he is such an easy going person. He kept on saying,” Why did they come to the park to just look at their phones?! They could be doing that at home!!” At one point I was like,” Honey, it is okay! They will get off eventually!” And they did, after about an hour. The previous night, Christopher told me that he wanted to tell me some things but couldn’t until our anniversary. Sounded a bit suspicious to me. Once we sat on the swing, he started talking about how he feels that we have grown as individuals, but also how we have grown together in our relationship through different circumstances over this past year. After about five minutes on the swing, he got down on one knee and asked if I would be his wife! Right after it happened, there were a few sweet families who congratulated us and offered to take pictures for us! We stayed on the swing for almost two hours, so we could FaceTime my family and just enjoy the moment together. I cannot wait to marry him, he truly is the love of my life!

I knew I wanted to propose long before I moved to Greenville at the end of January. I could feel I was no longer putting work as the first and only priority. Rachel made me see what was most important in life. She also made me see that a strong foundation for a relationship is Christ at the center. Everything became more and more clearer on a daily basis. I was definitely growing into the man God wanted me to become. His plan for me is to become a caretaker and husband to the most kind and loving woman. During the tough times where I felt discouraged from work, Rachel never left my side. And it was clear to me that this is what I wanted. So henceforth, I made the commitment and promise to myself that I would propose to her. In early January, I asked her father in person for her hand in marriage and he enthusiastically gave his approval! It was immediately after that I began to research engagement rings. There were a few that she really loved, but one stuck out the most that fitted her personality so well. It was very sparkly! I purchased the ring, and then came an oh-so minor obstacle. It was being shipped from New York City, and needed a signature required. I was unable to be at home for its delivery due to my work schedule. They attempted to deliver it three times unsuccessfully. By the fourth time, I was able to be home and notified that the ring was out for delivery, but something wasn’t adding up. The app and e-mails sent from FedEx were giving me two different answers, so eventually I called customer service. The customer service representative told me because I wasn't home the past three days, they would be shipping the ring back to New York City within 2 hours unless I came to the FedEx facility at the airport to pick it up. Hastily, I sped to the airport! Maybe ran a few red lights but that’s neither here nor there. Finally, I was able to retrieve the ring with only a few minutes to spare! On the day of, I called her father to tell him I was going to be proposing. I also thanked him for raising such a wonderful and God-fearing woman! I went to her apartment and picked her up, and was immediately speechless by the red dress she was wearing. It was our one year anniversary dating, and we decided to celebrate by dressing up and going out. After we ate at our favorite restaurant Tupelo Honey, we drove to Falls Park because the summer heat wasn’t ideal for walking. My plan was to propose to her on the same swing we sat a year ago to the date. But once we arrived, a family had occupied it. I was ADAMANT that I would propose to her on our swing! There were so many emotions running through my head, and I was definitely becoming impatient by the minute because I had waited for this day for so long. I wanted everything to be perfect! It was pure agony! I wanted to splash water on them to rid them off our swing, but Rachel said no. So I didn't. Eventually they left, and about 5 seconds after they had risen off the swing I ran over and sat down. Once Rachel and I were finally settled, my words began to stumble because of how much she means to me and how much I have changed over the year we've been together. She has made me so selfless and caring beyond measure. And I owe my happiness to her!