I moved to Pittsburgh looking for a fresh start. Newly single for the first time in over a decade, I decided to download some dating apps, thinking 'I'm new to the city and what better way to meet new people and maybe have a bit of fun?' I'm scrolling through... as you do... and Anthony's profile comes up; A very impressive and handsome young man. A nuclear engineer with shared political and religious beliefs. And if all that wasn't enough, his response to the prompt "Something you can't stop quoting" was "Name of the Wind." An incredible book and one of my all time favorites. We matched and with it being Bumble, that meant I had to message first. So I shyly sent a lame "Hey Anthony". Luckily, he had done his research and got the conversation going by asking me which Nic Cage movie was my favorite. This was the first glimpse of how attentive and thoughtful he is and the more we talked the more we realized we had in common.


We agreed to meet up and he suggested a dumpling place called Bao. I get there a few minutes early and sit on the bench outside nervous but excited. I remember looking down at my phone and I'm not sure what made me look up but when I did.... man... I thought I had the wind knocked out of me because he was so much more handsome than his pictures. I just remember him smiling and opening the door. I'm sure we exchanged pleasantries but I was in a bit of trance to remember the details. We were both incredibly nervous but conversation flowed nonetheless. I needed to catch the bus home and so I was trying to keep my eyes on the time but kept pushing it off to spend more time with him. Eventually I shared I should probably get to the bus stop because I wasn't sure when the last one would come. The bill comes and I offer to split it stating "I can help at least" but he just smiled sweetly and said "I know you can, but I'd like to get it if that's okay." Which left a smile on my face cause damn was it smooth. He then kindly offered to walk me to the bus stop, which is where I expected us to say goodbye. I was pleasantly surprised when he asked if I would like the company while I waited, which of course I did. He proceeded to stand and wait with me for what - I'm pretty sure- was at least an hour. Yet another example of how considerate and kind Anthony is and can be to someone he barely knows.

We met up a few more times in public, going to the botanical gardens, exploring the views of the city together while asking about pet peeves and every once and a while I'd catch him staring at me with a smile. No one ever made me feel the way I feel when Anthony looks at me like that.

Eventually, he invited me over to his house for dinner. That's when I remember starting to feel more comfortable and when we really started opening up about our pasts to the point where we almost forgot to eat the manicotti dinner he had made for us. To which his response was a sarcastic "Oh no guess that means that I have to spend more time with you." And I just remember feeling so honored that someone like him really seemed to like having me around.


I can't quite remember when exactly, but it was very early on in the relationship at one of those hangouts at his house when I very clearly remember thinking, "Oh! This is my husband, " as he held me and swayed me back and forth gently. Honestly, the rest is history.


He proposed about 6 months later at a waterfall on the way to visit my sisters and it was the easiest yes of my life. Sometimes when you know, you know, and you don't want to wait.

I moved to Pittsburgh in June 2020 for my dream job. My closest friends or family would be 500 miles away, and it would be well over a year before I met my boss or coworkers in person. Honestly, things were pretty good overall, but I felt lonely, even with the absolute joy our dog, Laurelin, has brought me. I’d had some dates, and an on-off long distance ‘situationship’, which epically blew up when one of my closest friends, Nikki, visited from abroad. This, as it turns out, was the turning point to the best days of my life.

I met Kayla on Bumble, an online dating app where women are the only ones allowed to initiate contact. Kayla did this with a simple ‘hey’. Undeterred, I found my greatest Nic Cage memes, and the immediate fit was obvious. She is a wonderful, beautiful, dedicated, immensely curious woman, and that was evident from the start. So, Sept 1, 2022, we arranged a date at a cute little dumpling place near her work, and it went… okay. Her hair… was… is… just fire. I couldn’t stop admiring it then, or now. I was so nervous, so was she, but then it turned out she had just missed her bus home, and we spent the next hour talking and hanging out. Free from the nerves and expectations of first meeting this gorgeous woman, we settled in and found ourselves perfectly matched. A few dates later, I had her over for dinner, and around 10-11pm she had to ask if we were still planning on eating... Oops! I had completely forgotten it in the oven, just being engrossed by this amazing person. On another date, she confidently introduced me to a new game, stating “I’ve never lost at it before, just so you know” and was incredibly gracious in a (lucky) crushing defeat. I was so nervous about watching a tv show in her bedroom, I stood outside her doorway until she had to tell me to “Come in here, silly!”

Less than 2 months later, I left home for a 2-week work trip utterly enthralled by the woman who offered to watch our precious pup. By the end, I couldn’t wait to get back to her, and the feeling of reuniting in her arms is etched in my mind like a fairytale. We started showing each other to our families, and everyone could see how happy we made each other. The night before we left my parents, I was packing up the car, and my parents sat at their kitchen island. We chatted about Kayla, and how awesome she was, and mom said, tears in her eyes, “It looks like you’ve found your person.” I did mom, and the good news was we both knew it even then.

In February 2023, I asked permission from Jenna, and we drove out to a beautiful waterfall on the way to seeing Kayla’s sisters. I was a ball of nerves, constantly fumbling with the ring in my pocket, checking to make sure I hadn’t left it behind every 3 steps. To my immense relief and gratitude, she said yes, and the bliss of our lives has only grown over time.

A year and a day after we first met, we eloped, with Jenna and Nikki as our witnesses in a picturesque river BnB. As you can see from our photos, Kayla was stunning. I continue to be in awe of my good fortune, of the love of my life, my wife, whom I love and cherish, by whom I always feel loved and cherished. I hope you will be able to join us in celebrating our love, and recommitment of our marriage together.