April 15th, 2021, Cathy was browsing Hinge on her phone. She was planning on applying to work at Hinge and wanted to have some user experience on the app before applying. As she was scrolling through her feed, she came across Jonathan's profile.

Hinge profiles typically have 6 pictures and 3 written responses to the user's choice of prompts. Jonathan had written: "Believe it or not, I... Built my first computer because I couldn't remember my wifi password..." fully intending to invite some teasing from any who wanted to poke fun at his ridiculous mistake. Cathy, however, responded with, "What specifications did you have in mind for your computer?" And from that moment, Jonathan knew that Cathy was a very special and thoughtful woman.

Thoughtful conversation became an early staple in their relationship. It was important to both people that any future relationship be built on a foundation of friendship and trust, so the first several weeks passed by in a delightful blur as paragraphs of text and even written letters passed between the soon-to-be partners. Jonathan was intrigued by this deeply considerate, charming person while Cathy was enchanted by this new conversational partner who could match her level of authenticity and depth.

On May 25th, 2021, after some gentle prodding from Cathy, Jonathan asked her to be his partner. As was typical for the pair, this conversation happened via a letter. In his letter, Jonathan wrote, "While I don't know what a dating relationship would look like exactly between you and I, I do know that I want to work with you to find that out and make it a thing." Cathy said yes with gleeful stickers. And thus the two partners set out to discover what that relationship would look like as they worked together to discover themselves individually and as a couple.

Over the next nearly three years, there were many adventures full of ups and downs. Domestic and international travel for friends and family getting married, deaths of loved ones, near-break ups, new cultural experiences, career changes, and so many other chapters. Through it all, Cathy and Jonathan remained committed to a simple rule: keep honestly communicating with one another. Even when it hurt or seemed scary to open up to the other person, they stayed true to the rule and built a relationship based on love, honesty, and care for one another and the world around them.

March 25th, 2024, Jonathan suggested that he and Cathy go for a walk in Trinity Park (the Fort Worth park where they first met each other in person and where Jonathan intended to propose to Cathy). Jonathan had deviated from parking in a normal spot and went to the extent of making a U-turn to a peculiar spot. When the couple got out of the car, Cathy remarked that they were close to where they had first met and that she wanted to try and track down the exact spot the first meeting had occurred. Jonathan (whose plan was to do exactly that search) feigned ignorance and easily agreed with Cathy's prompting to find this special spot. After a few minutes of searching, they found the tree that marked the place. Cathy ducked behind the tree wanting to recreate the moment and Jonathan walked down the path a ways to play his part. As Jonathan walked up to the tree Cathy hid behind, he pulled out a ring so that when Cathy jumped out from the tree, she saw Jonathan on one knee and holding a ring.

"Cathy, would you do me the most amazing honor of becoming my wife?" Jonathan asked. Through joyful tears and happy surprise, Cathy said, "Of course!"

As the now engaged couple look forward to the future, they have hopes and dreams of the life they want to build together. And you, dear reader, are a part of that story. The couple extends their deepest gratitude for the part (big or small) that you've played in their lives and they look forward to celebrating the day of their marriage with you very soon.

J&C