How We Met

December 9, 2025

John & Autum met on Facebook dating. Neither had experienced much success with the realm, but hadn’t given up hope. John liked Autum’s profile first. Her stated desire to be a woman of Christ and portraying herself as one in her profile was prominent in John’s pursuit. An underlying lifelong desire to have a partner to workout with was also a plus, when she had included a routine interest in fitness. For Autum, John’s profile distinctly earned the returned “Like” from his “Bio” where he stated, “…seeking to be a better man of God every day.” It’s easy for people to say they’re a Christian, to say they believe in God, right and wrong, and not actually live it out day to day…but the Bible tells us in Luke 9:23, “Then He said to them all; ‘Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me.” Actions speak louder than words, but when limited to words in initial impressions with online dating, what a powerful thing to say. (Spoiler Alert! His actions did live up to his words!) Autum thought, ‘This is someone I might like to get to know more!’ Once both profiles had been mutually “Liked” communication became available between the two of us. We spent a few weeks communicating through the platform’s messaging system before we both finally had availability for a Starbucks coffee date on January 1, 2026!

The First Date

January 1, 2026, Starbucks on Collins Rd.

John arrived early and waited inside on a casual couch chair by the window. Autum walked in right on time and had no difficulty finding him sitting in the corner chair waiting for her. It was casual, comfortable, and relaxed. After introducing ourselves to each other for the first time in person, we ordered coffee and took a seat back in the cozy corner. We talked about several foundational topics for dating, our intentions, and found we consistently centered on our mutual faith and pursuit of living as Jesus calls us to on a daily basis. After an hour of easy conversation, and lots of smiles, we walked to our vehicles. John walked Autum to her truck and parted with a hug. As John walked away back to his car he thought, ‘Will she want a second date?’, but then Autum interrupted the thought with, “oh, wait! Let me give you my number!”…that answered that question…

The Proposal

August 8, 2026, Blue Ridge, GA

John took us to Blue Ridge, Georgia for a few days to celebrate my birthday weekend. We rented a quaint, quiet cabin in the mountains. The first day of our trip was Autum’s 32nd birthday, and we had a great day. We enjoyed a slow morning with breakfast at a local cafe, then found a hike up to a beautiful waterfall called Fall Branch Falls. After spending some time exploring the area, we freshened up back at the cabin before heading to dinner at The General Ledger in historic downtown Blue Ridge. After dinner, we went to a drive-in movie to see Spiderman: Brand New Day, where he filled out my birthday card an hour before my birthday ended…right next to me...#He’sLearning. We had a great day together celebrating Autum turning 32. This day would’ve been perfect for a proposal, but John had been advised NOT to propose on her birthday. In hindsight, it turns out Autum would’ve still said yes. 😊
The next day, John had a grander hike planned with his intention of proposing. We enjoyed another slow morning and headed out (John with ring in pocket). Breakfast was at a local hotspot before heading toward the hike 45 minutes away. After a 20 minute drive into the mountains, the GPS turned us onto a rough mountain road for the final six miles. Three miles into the rough riding adventure, John asked, “hey, where was the last gas station you saw?” John’s Honda Civic was digesting gas on this rocky road faster than he had prepared for. After traveling another 2 miles (just a mile shy of the hike’s trailhead), out of fear of running out of gas, John pulled the trigger to turn around, “I’m sorry to be a Debby Downer, but I can’t risk it, we don’t have enough gas”. Ultimately, he feared getting us stuck on the day he wanted to propose. Despite Autum’s disappointment and frustration (she is the Queen of being prepared), we landed at a quiet coffee shop to decompress and talk through how the day went from great, to tragic, so quickly. Autum & John both formed a closer bond through the experience of overcoming personal expectations, giving grace, and understanding with each other. Seeking to save the day, we clipped our plan of visiting an Apple Orchard the next day and headed that way for the current instead. We took a tractor ride up into the orchard, picked apples, enjoyed sampling fresh Cider and shopped their apple market at Mercer Orchard. With a bag full of fresh apples and a renewed passion and commitment to each other, in the good times and the bad, we headed back to the cabin to get ready for a nice dinner. Autum’s last step to get ready was putting on some jewelry to include a few rings. John watched from the living room, and when she came out ready to go, he took her by the hand, “I wasn’t planning on doing it like this, but I’m watching you put on your rings and the most important one is missing.” Autum’s thought, ‘Thank God! I’ve been waiting!’ John took her by the hands by the fireplace and expressed his love and commitment for her. He stated God brought them together, got down on one knee and asked, “will you marry me?” Autum said, “Yes. Always yes.” We cried, we smooched, we went to dinner… which ended up being an unplanned excellent Italian place, Ferraro’s Kitchen, with a celebratory glass of champagne and dessert.