The beginning of the rest of our lives...

 

One day, Lauren opened up her Hinge dating app and found a like from Charles. Two weeks of talking and FaceTiming turned into planning a first date, a little challenging with over two hours of distance between them! They met up at a little movie theater in the middle of nowhere to see Top Gun: Maverick, followed by burritos at a little Mexican place up the road. They knew it would be a lot of work with the distance between them, and Lauren was ready to rule him out! In the midst of questioning, Charles even promised to take her overseas to explore the world, and to fulfill her dream of staying in a castle. Charles eventuallyy won her heart over that night after one question that explained he would always seek out wisdom in scripture and live a life honoring the Lord in everything he chooses to do. Lauren knew in that moment that she had found exactly what she was looking for.

They spent the following year navigating numerous deployments, trainings, apartment and job changes; all while trying to grow in their walk with Christ. They found pockets of fun traveling to local beaches, attending comedy shows, listening to jazz music in jazz bars, attempting line dancing, and renovating Charles' home. They dove head first into premarital counseling, choosing to work on being the best version of themselves for each other, and came to realize their decisions had given them the best chance at a successful marriage.

In November 2023, Lauren moved to Wilmington, NC on a hope and prayer that this would be her last little apartment. Charles returned to the reserves and began a new career, turning his life inside out with the new goals of having a family with the woman waiting for him. They settled into a wonderful church family, and began really exploring what their lives could look like together.

On February 24th, 2024, a simple walk on the boardwalk turned into a lovely proposal at sunset, followed by a surprise engagement party at Elijah's! That day started the beginning of forever, and Lauren's happily ever after fairytale. And now, they get to set off on their dream they created together on their first date, an overseas trip to the luxurious Barbados!