As told by Dylan....
Two years ago, last November, the southern wind blew through the famed windy city of Chicago, as two very traditional people opened their minds to the skeptical idea of online dating. Both Deborah and Dylan were arriving at the same conclusions that the world must be changing and the idea of bumping into the love of your life at the supermarket, like in a Hallmark Movie was a thing of the past.
The fact is the world is now pixilated into a digital age. Realizing this, we arrived at Catholic Match and the Hallmark Movie found us.
I worked as a traveling Race Car Crew Chief and had very little social time outside the grueling race trips, and late nights preparing the cars. Despite my full plate and constant on-the-go, the longing for a
companion to share my life with never escaped me. Though, I will admit the days of online dating were
quite depressing, and disappointing, all it took was one swipe to go right! Just as I was giving up hope,
deleting profiles, and closing accounts, I left one account active, Catholic Match. I thought to myself, “if God wills it, I might want to leave this door open.”
As I landed in Austin, Texas for the last showdown of our race season, a notification popped up on my
phone. Much to my surprise, from the door left open. I had finally gotten a response from all the digital
dating efforts. All through the weekend we exchanged messages, shared stories, and hung on every
word. The truth is, I could hardly focus on my job as I was anticipating her next response.
A few weeks of this went by as though it were a couple days, until the obvious question was presented.
She lived in Chicago, I lived in Tennessee, how could this even work? Naturally to me, I replied, “God can move mountains!” As more messages, pictures, and what had become a ritual of Good Night, and Good Morning messages between us, had clogged the airwaves between Nashville and the Windy City; I had to meet this girl, she was all I would think about!
On November 14th, 2021, I woke up at 3:00 am with an overwhelming pull to go for it! I bought a ticket that day to take a Southwest Flight to Chicago. I prepared an overnight bag and deadheaded to the
airport. Upon parking my car, I thought to myself, “She’ll either agree to go to dinner with me, or I will
experience a city I’ve never been to and be back to work by noon.”
The original plan was to show up and surprise her, yet the logical side of me thought that might be perceived as creepy, or desperate. While boarding the plane, I sent here a text and asked what she was doing for dinner tonight? If she didn’t have plans, would she join me? She must have thought I was joking as her replay was, “I wish!” Before the plane took flight, I sent a picture of the Southwest O’Hare sign on the destination board. By the time I landed she made reservations at the 95th Floor Restaurant in Downtown Chicago. By now my heart was racing faster than any race car I had ever built. I landed, found a button up shirt, and was rendered star struck when I saw her for the first time entering the hotel lobby. It was like that of the movies! Her bouncing blond hair danced in the breeze as she walked through the door. I was in complete amazement!
Our first date was as if we had known each other forever and went into the early morning hours. After a
year of commuting for our relationship, we watched God move that mountain, and how we became the stars of our own Hallmark movie.
On Christmas last year, with all her family around, I asked Deborah to marry me, and as winter became spring, she became a Tennessee transplant. We found in each other what we were both needing and wanting in this life, all by leaving that one door open for God to take flight in our story. As they say on the silver screen, the rest is history.
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Based in Columbia, TN
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Deva and Bill
