Megan had been actively dating for years and been told by many that her standards were too high. After living in south Alabama, Pennsylvania, and North Carolina the Lord led her back to her hometown of Cullman, Alabama. She thought the Lord brought her back to Cullman to focus on family and that was He was likely closing the chapter on finding a spouse. However, as we know the Lord’s timing and plan is truly perfect and ever so sweet.

Jacob always wondered if the right woman would come along. He was mostly content to keep to himself or spend time with his friends, as it was easy and comfortable. Occasional attempts at dating would remind him of why he generally didn’t much. The spring of 2023, after some time reflecting, he felt that it was time to make a conscious effort to give dating a try. Up until that point, a date was a big step in bravery followed by awkward conversation and often disappointment. What followed was an interesting few months of lessons imparted through the wide world of online dating.

One August night, Megan matched with Jacob on a dating app and a few days later they would have their first date at the most Cullman County location ever – Cracker Barrel, ha! Their first date was full of hours of conversations and an awkward goodbye hug. Fast forward to date #3 where they had a pizza date in the park and talked for hours about many deep life topics. Megan began to realize that Jacob really might be her forever person as they aligned on many core life subjects and were able to share many vulnerable experiences with each other. That night, he prayed for her trip and for her. She knew he was something special. She left the next day for 3 weeks in Europe for a work trip knowing this would be true test to see if he would stick around! After their date and Megan left, all Jacob could think about was when he could see her next. Something about their brief time together clicked. He looked forward to messages each evening when she would wake up in Europe as he would be winding down for bed and especially any video calls they could squeeze in. Fast forward to 3 weeks later, the day after she arrived back home Jacob had flowers delivered to her house ahead of their date that night. They had a fancy date of Chick-fil-a because that is what Megan missed while she was in Europe, and it was then that Jacob asked her to be his girlfriend.

The time between the first dates and the beginning of the new year flew by. Many outings, shared experiences, as well as the excitement and hubbub of the holiday season made it clear (at least in Jacob’s mind) that Megan was special and that he wanted to spend his life with her.

Fast forward to March, Megan had just gotten back from another work trip (there is a trend) and they were going to have a date night. After dinner, Jacob had “forgotten” to tell Megan about a gender reveal party for one of their friends on a rooftop. When they went to the rooftop, he had a beautiful table setup with roses, candles, dessert, and a gift setup. There was a picturesque sunset and Jacob got down on one knee and asked me to marry him. He forgot to put the ring on Megan’s finger and Megan forgot to say yes because they were so caught up in the moment! Megan’s cousin was hiding taking pictures and their families were downstairs waiting to celebrate with them. It was absolutely perfect!

Throughout their journey they have had so much fun getting to know each other. They enjoy spending time with their families (especially their niece and nephews), hiking, camping, catching up on their shows, game nights, vacations, and have recently become amateur pickle ball players. Oh, and Jacob enjoys telling Megan dad jokes 😊 They desire to build a marriage, friendship, and relationships that honors each other and most importantly the Lord. They are tremendously blessed with the best support system of family and friends around them!

As Megan wrote their love story from her perspective, she sat on a plane and the song Goodness of God came on. With tears in her eyes, she reflected on God’s goodness and faithfulness in her life through everything but especially in sending her Jacob. She can truly say he was worth the high standards and worth the wait.

“All my life You have been faithful. All my life You have been so, so good. With every breath that I am able I will sing of the goodness of God.”