Before I share Jessica’s and my story I want to personally thank you for taking the time to read our story. Since Jessica and I met we have had many people tell us they have been praying for both of us to meet our significant other one day. If you were one of those who prayed for us, I want to say thank you. Those prayers have been answered and it means a lot to both of us.

Jessica and I met on December 21st, 2024. She would not love for me to tell everyone this part but it is part of our story, we met online on Hinge. I will be honest I was on there a while with no luck. Two months prior to us matching I reached out to a buddy who had met his fiancé on there. I asked him “Dude, how do you get lucky with so many dates on there.” With a few pointers from him I revamped my profile. After some extra work, I matched with Jessica a few days later. Jessica had a little more luck. She only had one other date before she met me. From the beginning she will tell you I was hesitant about our relationship and where it was going, I will say, when I came across her profile there was some feeling that would not leave me when I saw her. We talked a few weeks on the app, and then I set us up for a date at a Mexican restaurant in Chelsea. Turns out Mexican food was her absolute favorite (not really.)

The first date was great. I kept it short and sweet. She will tell you that she wished I had let it go longer. I have told her I was respecting her time. I was walking out cautious of how things went, but before I left she gave me a hug and said, “I absolutely loved this and I cannot wait to see you again.” I was in shock that she said that. I had never had a woman be that up front and honest with me.

I told her I was going to the mountains with my dad in a few days and when I got back I would set up the next date. We left it at that. She at this point would probably tell you I walked away with an unplanned date and was nervous if she would hear from me again. The next week was Christmas and then I went out of town, but we were texting daily. When I got back in town we set up our second date and went from there. The way we met over the holidays, I was out of touch with a lot of people and friends, but I made sure she knew that I was making this relationship a priority. I joked with my friends I would keep things on the down low if I ever did start dating. There were very few people I told that I had gone on dates with Jessica.

Fast forward to the third date. I told myself I would keep an open mind with Jessica. Let me tell you what, I am glad I did. Had I not I would have missed out on pure happiness and being in an amazing relationship with a Godly woman. The third date was not a date we expected. I met her parents in an unexpected way. Long story short her dad broke his thumb and came rushing in as we were watching a movie and needed paper towels to stop his thumb from bleeding. After the chaos settled Jessica was nervous that I was going to ghost her because I told her I was not ready to meet her family yet. That day though, I knew something with Jessica and I was there and I promised her I was not going to ghost her. From there we saw each other on a regular basis and grew the relationship.

Jessica has been the first person I said “I love you" to, and I cannot deny she has been the first person I have ever kissed. If you are reading this and are single the best advice I can give to you is keep an open mind about dating. Had I not kept an open mind with Jessica as much as I did, I would have missed out on a lifetime of love.

I know we have only been dating for a short time, but I have experienced so much with Jessica. I have seen their family through hard times with her mom having a major health scare very early in our relationship. I have seen the way the family handles hardships and I have seen the way her family supports each other. While Jessica and I cannot make every Sunday afternoon lunch, most of them go out every week. I absolutely love and respect how personable, supporting, and loving her family has been. They have accepted me and supported me as one of their own. If you are her family and reading this I want to personally thank you for how much ya’ll have supported our relationship. I promise to always take care of her in marriage.

Jessica, I just want to say, thank you for loving me and caring for me as much as you have. Last year I prayed for you daily for two months and God answered my prayer through you. I promise to lead you in marriage with a God centered relationship. I pray our marriage will display his glory & advance his kingdom. I look forward to spending the rest of my life with you. I love you more than you know.

With Love,

Jerrod

Oak Mountain State Park

Birmingham Museum of Art