Since I was a little girl, I prayed that God would bring a man into my life that would steal my heart, love me unconditionally and make it a priority to protect my happiness. As I grew up, my faith was tested and I started to doubt that I would ever find my "Happily Ever After." After two years of being single in a world where everyone had their faces in their phones in coffee shops, I re-downloaded a cringe-worthy dating app and expanded my radius to 50 miles. The next day (while I was simultaneously binge-watching reality television with my mother) a photo of a good-looking man in a blue t-shirt popped up on my phone and my jaw dropped. My stomach flipped upside down when I saw his face and I screamed out loud, “OMG MOM I JUST FOUND MY HUSBAND ON TINDER.” My family thought I was either kidding or crazy because they knew that I never took those apps seriously and was never interested in finding a partner by "swiping right." But for some reason, I could not stop talking about "my future hubs" and he hadn't even matched with me... yet!
Looking back, it may sound crazy but at the time it felt like God had whispered in my ear that this man was going to be really important to me. My soul was being pulled like a magnet like nothing I’ve ever felt and I didn’t even know the guy. A week later I got an “It’s a Match!” notification and a sweet message from Will, the handsome U.S. Soldier in the blue t-shirt and family rolled their eyes and shook their heads as I blabbed on and on about how we were obviousllllyyyy meant to be.
After a few weeks of flirty convo, William asked me out to dinner and drove an hour and a half to take me out on our first date. My mom was there to greet him of course because she can't stay out of anything lol annnnd she wanted to meet “my future husband” for herself. William greeted us both with a fearless hug and when he opened my car door for me, I knew I was in trouble. Our conversation was easy breezy and it felt like we were catching up like we'd known each other for years. I remember not wanting the night to end and we were already talking about seeing each other again. After dinner, William walked me to my door like a gentleman, but before I could wave goodbye he said "Oh no, my phone is dead! Do you happen to have a charger I could use for a little?" I smiled and said "of course!" wondering if he told a fib to keep the night going, which he later confessed to having a car charger with him the night. We talked more about our lives while his phone charged and then, he kissed me. He kissed me and fireworks exploded in my chest and I never wanted to kiss another person ever again. Little did I know, I'd never have to because I was right. He was going to become my husband and it all started with a "swipe."
Shortly after meeting, William shaved his head and left for The U.S. Army's Ranger School in Fort Benning Georgia which would take 3 months if he succeeded. Although our connection was immediate, we were both anxious about the looming long distance and communication barrier that we would face so soon after meeting. We couldn’t imagine going all summer without hearing from each other, so we decided to do things old school. We exchanged addresses and made a promise to keep in touch through handwritten letters. Starting off our relationship this way really set the tone for our commitment to making the best of any situation and emphasized how important communication would be to both of us. The letters forced us to really think about what we wanted to share and what we wanted to hear from the other person. I’m so thankful for that escape from technology that we were blessed with. In the age of social media, I truly believe the letters helped us avoid distractions from the outside world and truly focus on each other.
Since our first date, I have fallen more and more in love with William after learning that his heart is actually even more perfect than his face. He is an amazing husband and father, a man of God, a hard worker, a fearless leader, and my best friend. In December of 2018, William proposed and confirmed my belief in love at first sight (or swipe)! A month later, he was relocated overseas while I stayed in the U.S. to plan our wedding and continue growing my photography business. This year, we spent 8 months apart before William came home to Maryland, where we celebrated being reunited, our new family of three and our forever with people we love from all around the U.S. We are now living together in Italy, traveling the world together as newlyweds and we couldn't be more grateful for God's perfect timing. Follow along and read more of our love story on our couple Instagram: @unitedwestanley!
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