It all started with a heart and a prayer.  We were both struggling with dating as adults.  I was at the end of my rope with online dating.  I then realized that I was needing to include God in the process.  I prayed to God that if there is anyone out there for me to reveal them.  In the next couple of days, I received a heart from an intriguing and beautiful lady on the Zoosk dating website. My curiosity was peaked with her profile but she was a little outside my distance parameters.  Dana was also outside of her comfort zone in that she had never made the first contact with anyone and it was stretching her distance parameter as well.  Being two hours away from each other did not deter our curiosity.  I replied to her heart and we began messaging each other.  After a few days of messaging, I got up the nerve to ask her out.  On President's Day, 2019, I drove to TN to have dinner with this beautiful lady, and I am so happy I did.  We met for dinner and after what seemed like only a few minutes, we were shocked to realize it had been 4 hours instead.  It was like we had known each other for years.  She was so easy to talk to, and I was craving to know more and more about this amazing woman. 
It only took a few days before we were on our 2nd date.  We met in Springhill to watch the University of Kentucky basketball game.  Dana is an avid UK fan!!  We watched UK play, talked, and had some appetizers.  Once the game was over, we move on to another place to get a nightcap and talk.  While at the table waiting, Dana received a phone call from an old friend.  This friend needed some help, and I could see in her eyes how she was compelled to help.  It was seeing her heart and how she reacted to a friend that I fell in love with the beautiful person this incredible lady is.  We waited only a couple of days before going out again.  We met about halfway between where we each live in Lewisburg to go bowling.  After bowling and playing a few games of air hockey, we got busted kissing in the parking lot by the parking lot patrol, Karen, after I had given Dana two dozen roses.  We proceeded to the local Mexican restaurant and ate dinner.  We played a game that involved several getting to know you questions which were awesome.  After a few hours, and the wait staff giving us looks to leave, we walked to my truck to continue talking.  I concluded the night by asking her to dance in the parking lot of the restaurant.  It was a magical evening.  We could not wait until we got home before we had already called and continued to talk on the phone.  The next date was only a few days away and it involved watching another UK basketball game.  We did not watch much of the game, and this was the night that I first told Dana I loved her. 
We took a trip to Gatlinburg with two of Dana's friends that involved watching Kentucky play in the NCAA basketball tournament.  We had so much fun, but not without a bump in the road or should I say a trip to the Emergency Care Center.  Dana missed the last step of the stairs in the cabin our first morning there and broke her ankle.  She was on crutches for the rest of the trip, but that did not stop us from having an amazing time and making wonderful memories.  We had storybook evenings with fireplaces burning and romantic settings.  We did not want to go back home, so we stayed another night.  This was a great week that helped us to grow closer and just be us. 
We continued to see each other over the next several months with some incredible moments involving picnics, pressure washing, decorating for Christmas, and nights out with friends. She surprised me on my 50th birthday with an incredible evening. My house was decorated with banner, confetti, and several gifts. She also treated me to dinner at Texas de Brazil, which is my favorite restaurant. Dana went all out and made me feel extremely special on a day that I usually didn’t celebrate. The holiday season started and one of my birthday gifts was to attend GLOW in Nashville. This was a magical night that included ice tubing, incredible lights, music, and Dana singing “I want a hippopotamus for Christmas” song. I have got a video recording to prove it too. The lights were beautiful, but my date stole the show for me. We had a great time.
I tried to return the surprise of decorating for Dana’s birthday. I got her a red velvet cake with sparkling candles. I put up streamers, confetti, a banner, and decorated the bed with her gifts and confetti. I tried my best to make it a special night with a poem and candlelight dancing. It is amazing that we both try to make each other feel special and like the most important person in the world.
On Valentine’s Day, Dana wanted to go to one of her favorite restaurants to celebrate. She set it up and made the reservations at Connor’s Steakhouse. It was an incredible evening. We dressed up and she was so beautiful. I got her flowers, and the evening was filled with pictures and conversation. Little did we know that it would be our last night out for a while since it was right before the pandemic hit.
We had a trip to Gatlinburg planned to repeat our previous trip to watch Kentucky in the NCAA tournament. Then the COVID-19 pandemic hit. It was sad that we did not get to go to Gatlinburg. This was a blessing in disguise for us while it was not pleasant for so many. The Coronavirus allowed us to be together for a long period. I am usually occupied with coaching and teaching during this time. I was able to go and spend a lot of time with Dana. We grew so much during this period of time, but it was hard not to be able to go and do the things we wanted. We spent our time on long walks, playing cards, (Rummy is the main game and she owns me at this game), and watching old Kentucky basketball games. I knew from this period of time that we were destined to be together. We were finally able to get out and do something and spent an afternoon at a local vineyard with some music and wine. It was so nice to get out and do something.

We spent several evenings at home playing cards, watching movies, or just sitting outside by the fire pit that she bought. It has been incredible, and we sit out by it almost every night we are in TN. We will wait until the sun goes down, and then we will light the fire and just be together. This love of a fire pit started with our last trip to Gatlinburg. We seem to always reconnect with a fire in front of us. Maybe it is due to the incredible trip we had that is described above.
Dana decided to sell her house before the market declines from COVID-19, which is smart. The process was rather quick. She packed boxes and we would stack them in the garage. We had fun doing this for the most part with the exception that moving is not really fun. Dana moved into her new house, and it was great. It was stressful during the move process, but being together helped ease that stress a little. The new house has a porch that has wicker furniture around the fire pit. This is incredible in that I can now hold her while being by the fire pit before we were in separate chairs.
There are so many things that we could add to our story, but there is only so much room. I knew I had found my fairytale several months ago. I did fall in love quicker than Dana, but she came along at her pace. I knew that I had to ask her to be my wife. I am now the luckiest and most blessed man around because she said yes. I am so thankful for her being in my life. God truly answered my prayer when I met Dana. She is my princess that will soon be my queen!