Case Study
Alone in a new city, one woman found a partner when she wasnt expecting it.
Youve heard it a million times: Youll meet someone when youre not looking.
She actually passed the year that I did.
Through that, I joinedthe worship teamand got to know other people in the church, including Patrick.
We met in September 2015, about a year after I moved to D.C.
I was attending my first practice with the team and introduced myself to everyone.
I saw him walk in a little later and thought,He is pretty cute.
But I told myself that wasnt why I was there.
After practice, he walked over to introduce himself.
Isnt this your floor?
He just laughed and said, Oh yeah, thanks.
I thought he might be flirting or that he was just really into the conversation.
I was starting to like him but wasnt actively pursuing anything I figured if it happened, it happened.
Then, in November of that year, he messaged me on Facebook asking me out on a date.
I was nervous to reply.
Theres a culture of, If youre dating, youre dating to get married.
So my mind jumped ahead to the altar.
I thought, What if this is my husband?
Several hours later that same day, I gained the courage to reply, Yeah, lets hang out.
Lets go on a date.
After that, I felt calmer and knew I didnt have to have all the answers right away.
Two moments stick out from our first date.
First, I found out our birthdays are a week apart.
It was odd, because he basically was a stranger at the time.
We became boyfriend and girlfriend in April of the following year.
It was a smooth transition we were alreadydating exclusively, we just hadnt had theconversation about making it official.
Once we did, we just continued the fun we were having together and told our family and friends.
Some people at church knew right away that we were dating.
Others caught on after seeing us spend time together.
We told some of ourcloser friends we were datingoutright, and they were all very supportive.
Id been used to compartmentalizing my life more.
I had my friends and then I had my boyfriend.
With Patrick, though, everything was a bit more natural since we had shared friendships.
That really allowed me to get to know him in a more authentic way and vice versa.
Both of our fathers were involved in music ministry at their churches.
Ultimately its about finding the right fit in the church community first.
I knew that Patrick’s character was incredible early on.
He was so patient and consistent if he said he was going to do something, he did it.
But I realized he was The One through a series of moments, some more dramatic than others.
I looked up at the street sign Patrick Street.
It felt like time stopped a little bit I froze.
Then the light changed.
Patrick had no idea what was happening.
This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.
This article was originally published onDec.
