I've been through some pretty difficult times over the past few years. Through it all, God has been faithful and brought someone very special into my life...her name is Katie. Let me tell you how we met. About three years ago I tragically lost Abby, my wife. Katie and Abby were good friends who met online as they both pursued their health and weight loss journeys. As hard as it was to get through each day, Katie and I kept in close touch. She had also lost a great friend and through the grief we grew closer and closer together and started talking every day. I started to feel in my heart that God was showing me He had a plan for me and it would include Katie. Every time we talked, I didn’t want it to end. A few months passed and we decided we wanted to meet each other in person to just see where this might lead. In December of 2022, we spent a few days together, adventuring, talking, singing, and just enjoying each other's company...that’s when I knew God was giving me a second chance at love. A new love story. At first, I was scared to start this new chapter, so I took it slow. I just couldn’t get enough of our talks and the way we made each other laugh. Katie made my days brighter and I could feel myself falling deeper in love with her. On January 2nd, I ended up in the hospital. Katie told me she couldn’t hold it back anymore and needed me to know that she loved me. I didn’t hesitate to say it back. I felt the same way and asked her to start a relationship with me that night. It was so hard to be apart from each other, so on my next visit in February, I decided to give her a promise ring and let her know that I would always be there for her and assure her of my feelings. Fast forward another month, she had planned a visit down to Georgia to meet my family and spend her birthday week with me. I knew in my heart that I wanted to marry this girl so I talked to her dad before she came down. I asked him if he would give me his blessing to ask her to be my wife and he said yes! We took a day trip to Pigeon Forge, Tennessee and drove through the scenic Cades Cove. I pulled off so we could walk down to a beautiful waterfall and decided that was the perfect moment...as she turned back to see if I was ready to go, I got down on one knee and asked her to marry me. She said YES! That was the best yes I'd ever heard. We both know that not everyone falls in love. I am her first love, but I am blessed to have a second chance at love. We are so thankful to God for His hand in our love story. He brought two broken hearts together and made us whole again. And this is just the beginning...we look forward to all the blessings God has in store for us.