❤

I first met her in 2014. We were volunteer workers at a small summer camp in Eastern Kentucky, and she happened to be in front of me in the staff registration line. We struck up conversation, and I was immediately smitten with her. She was funny, friendly, and very cute.

One weekend early in the summer, I added her on Facebook. My very first message to her asked if she wanted to come with me and my friends to see How to Train Your Dragon 2. She said that sounded “fantastic”, so I picked her up and we drove together to the theater. (Of course, I also had a few buddies in the car with me so it wasn’t really a “date”...)

As the summer progressed, we became good friends. I discovered her incredible artistic abilities and her knack for drawing stunning portraits of celebrities. Even if we weren’t together in person, we would talk over Facebook Messenger. I considered it a treat any time I got to talk to her. Sometimes I felt like she was the only person who really understood me.

As the end of the summer drew nigh, I felt very sad. She lived in Michigan, nine hours away. We probably wouldn’t see each other again until the next summer…assuming that we both worked again.

On the last day of camp, I exchanged sad goodbyes with many of my friends. But saying goodbye to her was the most painful. I gave her a big hug and told her she was a great friend. “I’ll see you again next summer.” As I drove away, I felt low but I also had a faint sense of hope. I knew that she was special.

A day later, I texted her, just to see how she was doing. Thus begun our long series of long-distance texting and Facebook chatting. We would check in with each other more or less every day. Being nine hours apart didn’t keep us from being friends.

By the beginning of 2015, it was quite evident that both of us liked each other. We would send cute selfies to each other via Facebook and give each other little compliments. But it was difficult to justify progressing the relationship much further than being close friends, on account of the distance between us.

But ultimately, distance was no match for our friendship and feelings for each other. I asked her to be my Valentine by sending her an array of chocolates and a card by mail. She was caught completely off-guard and was incredibly excited. I distinctly remember the Facebook messages that she had sent me when she received my package. Suffice to say her messages contained a lot of heart emojis. We then enjoyed a virtual Valentines Day date over Skype, where we dressed up and ate our dinners “together”.

Soon afterward, we made our relationship “Facebook official”. Even though we lived far away, Facebook and Skype were able to make us feel much closer. That spring we got two opportunities to be together in person as well — she came down with her aunt to tour Asbury University and I drove up to Michigan to take her to her senior prom.

By the time she graduated, she had decided to attend Asbury for her undergraduate degree — a school that was only 30 minutes from UK. We were thrilled that we could finally go on actual dates instead of Skype dates. But even on the days when we didn’t see each other in person due to work, homework, or other obligations, we could still talk over Facebook.

Our relationship continued to blossom. Last spring, I took her back to the place we went on our first date and I proposed to her. After an 8-month enagement, we were married in December.

If it hadn’t been for Facebook and Skype, we might have drifted apart after that first summer. But because of these social applications, we were able to bond and communicate even over long distances. As a result, I now have a beautiful wife and best friend that I get to come home to every night. And no selfie, text, Skype date, or Facebook message compares to that. ❤