It started in May 2014. We both are strong Christian believers and have had a hard time finding people with the same beliefs and interests. We both have been through really bad relationships that caused a lot of heartache and turmoil. Even though we both were skeptical about online dating, we felt we had run out of options and joined ChristianMingle.

At the time, we were both 23 years old. I was living in Raleigh, North Carolina and he was living in Carbondale, Illinois. I remember looking at local profiles around Raleigh. I honestly didn’t really see anyone that caught my eye. It felt awkward to just start talking to random guys that I knew nothing about or had never seen in person. I was definitely concerned about false profiles of people staging as other people.

Then I used the tool that searched for matches everywhere around you, just for fun. Dalton’s profile was on the first page of picks for me. I instantly noticed his profile. Quickly, I stopped myself because my thought was that it would be impossible to have a relationship with someone 14 hours away. I decided to close down the computer.

Over the next week, I received two emails from Dalton. I couldn’t believe it; it was crazy that we both noticed each other’s profile. My first thought was this guy is crazy to try and talk to a woman 14 hours away. I ignored his emails for a couple of days until he sent me another. Then something told me to just email him back. We sent a few emails back and forth and then we moved over to Facebook. I looked him up online to make sure he was who he said he was. Then we exchanged numbers. From the first call, we talked everyday on the phone.

In mid-June 2014, I told Dalton that I cannot continue to have a relationship on the phone never having met face to face. I told him that we had to meet. I was a nurse and he was a fitness trainer at a gym. I had a couple vacation days open at 4th of July. He was the only trainer at his gym and could not take days off but had 4th of July day off and the weekend. I got the crazy notion to fly to him 4th of July weekend to meet. I had never done anything this crazy in my life, but I knew that I had to meet him. The closest airport to him was St. Louis, Missouri.

Adrenaline raced through by body the day leading up to July 4th. Getting off the plane and walking to the car pick-up area was one of the most exciting and scary moments I have had. He pulled up to the curb and got out of his truck. Pure relief and happiness overcame me. It was 8 a.m. and we both did not sleep that night because of anticipation. We decided to go to breakfast at IHOP first thing which is also where we shared our first kiss … talk about the breakfast of champions! We had the most amazing weekend, full of good food, fireworks, the St. Louis Zoo and amazing talks.

After that weekend, I got home feeling alone and sad. I had this amazing weekend with this guy and I don’t know when I will ever see him again. I decided to plan the next time we could meet. In August 2014, I drove to Carbondale, Illinois and stayed there a week. I needed to see him again and see if what I was feeling was real. At the end of my week, we decided one of us was going to have to move if we wanted this to work.

We started making a game plan of what to do. As a nurse, I could be located anywhere. Though Dalton was a fitness trainer, it is very hard to find a full-time paying job in that field. I started applying to jobs in Carbondale. Dalton and I called every gym within 50 miles of Raleigh. The craziest thing happened! A gym 20 minutes from my house gave Dalton a job over the phone. That same week I got a new nurse job in Raleigh. We both were in shock! If there was any doubt we had before that moment, it was gone now. God works in mysterious and amazing ways. Two weeks later, Dalton packed up his stuff and moved to Raleigh.

One year later, on July 7, 2015, Dalton proposed to me near a camp in the mountains that he used to work for called Snowbird Wilderness Outfitters in Andrews, North Carolina. We were on top of a fire tower (Wesser-Bald) overlooking the beautiful mountains! We got married this past September!

We tell people our story all the time. Everyone that hears our story is amazed and says how special it is. Our story does not happen very often. Every fiber in my body knows God had this beautiful plan and brought us together.

Did you find love online? Submit your story to share how you met your soulmate on ChristianMingle.

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