Ryan and I met in 2019. We matched on Bumble, a dating app, and we began to talk. He asked me what my favorite food was, to which I replied sushi. I remember him being thrilled because sushi was also his favorite and he said he hadn’t found anyone else who liked sushi. So, he invited me out to sushi for our first date. We met at a restaurant in Turkey Creek; Kabuki.

This was the first date I had ever been on that made my stomach flutter and my face red. I was nervous, which was unlike me. There I was, sitting in a booth across from a handsome young man with thick brown hair, green eyes, and a smile that made me giddy. His voice was assertive, yet his words were soft and alluring. I learned quickly that he was a talker; as was I. He told me that he was an EMT which I had already known from the pictures on his dating profile. I was never one for men in uniform, except for him for whatever reason. He was an outlier. I can’t remember what all was said between us that day, but I do remember that I walked out knowing that he was the man I was going to marry.

Him and I fell hard for each other and dated for two years. We had shared an abundance of love and spent all of our time together. Then we got our first apartment; a one bed, one bath in Maryville, Tennessee. We loved it. We ended up adopting two fur babies as well; Oren and Bagherra. We enjoyed having our own space together and having our friends over. Things were great, and then I fell on hard times which led to a lot of strain on our relationship. We ended up separating which was extremely difficult for both of us.

We keep in contact every now and then after a long moment of silence, but we were both on different paths in our lives. In 2022 I fell extremely ill. I had contacted Ryan about what was going on and how I was not doing well. He came and got me and took me to the hospital. Turns out I was in active heart failure with an active pulmonary embolism. If he hadn’t gotten me to the hospital when he did, I would have died. He saved my life despite all we have been through. He helped get me back on my feet as I recovered and then we parted ways again so we could each continue to grow.

In 2024, we reconnected. We got to know each other again. While being in each other's presence felt familiar, we were different people. We were grown and matured; no longer kids. We had forgiven each other for our faults and became friends. We had both accepted that the fate of our relationship was as friends instead of partners; so we thought. After a couple months, we both faced a dilemma. The dilemma being: that we both still had love for each other. After some consideration, and communication we decided to try to make our relationship work.

It has now been two years since we have gotten back together. He proposed to me on December 21st, 2025. Through forgiveness, perseverance, and commitment we have created a relationship that has been proven to withstand in times of great turmoil. Ryan and I’s relationship isn’t just love. It stands as a strong example of unbreakable union.