Hello everyone! Many of you have been following our journey, and I’ve received numerous requests to share the details of our story in a more accessible format. I’m excited to finally share My Love Story with all of you as it is a fascinating and captivating tale. Thank you for your continued interest and support.
Spring 2021
I began my journey on Instagram in spring of 2021, with a focus on building my presence through live streams, networking, and connecting with like-minded individuals. During one of these live streams, I came across someone who shared my interests and values. Despite being on separate streams, I felt an instant attraction to him and knew I wanted him to be mine. Coincidentally, we both ended up joining a group related to a stalker targeting the 420 community on Instagram.
I waited for about an hour before sending him a message, but unfortunately I did not receive a reply. However, one day I saw him go live on Instagram and I requested to join. Although I can’t recall how long I stayed on the live, I remember what I was doing with my friend. I then responded to his Instagram story and finally received a reply! We exchanged messages for an extended period, with both of us sometimes taking a few days to respond. The group chat focused on the stalker eventually evolved into general conversation, and we would often have Houseparty video calls (RIP Houseparty) where I would occasionally see him.
August 2021
During this time, I was celebrating my birthday and since bars and clubs were closed due to the lockdown, I hosted a party on Houseparty with my friends. I invited him to the party and I think he briefly popped in, holding a beer in his hand. He was one of the few people I specifically wanted there, besides two of our mutual friends. This marked the start of more frequent calls with both of our mutual friends. One of the first things he said to me was “Bee, you’re wife material.” I was taken aback and turned red, as I wasn’t expecting it and am not comfortable receiving compliments.
September 2021
In early September 2021, I mustered up the courage to give him my number. My heart was racing and I was worried he wouldn’t text me. By this point, he had told me that he was only seeking friendship due to past relationships. I was fine being friends, but also wanted more, so I wanted to get to know this American guy better. We started FaceTiming just a day after I gave him my number. He was and still is, the worst at responding to text messages. Initially, we would FaceTime for nearly the entire night, but it soon developed into something more significant.
By mid-September, we were video chatting with each other nearly 24/7, and when we weren’t, we were texting. I had to remind myself that this was just a friendship, and we became best friends. By the end of the month, I knew I wanted to travel 6,000 kilometers to Michigan to see him. We started planning, but the borders were not yet open due to the COVID-19 restrictions, and there were many rumors about when they would open. We were confident I would eventually make the trip, but we didn’t know if it would be in two months or six. Looking back, I’m glad we had all this time to get to know each other better. It was around the start of October when President Biden announced the date for the reopening of the United States, which was November 8th.
Start of November 2021
As soon as we heard that the borders would be reopening, we quickly put our plan into motion. I booked my flights for December 9th and I was both excited and nervous about the trip. We continued to video call every day, both one-on-one and with friends, and some people questioned whether I was actually going. By the middle of November, we both expressed our love for each other and became incredibly close in a short amount of time. We had many similarities and both believed that starting off as best friends was the best approach. He wanted to take things slow, and that’s exactly what we did.
End of November 2021
Just before my trip in December, I encountered a setback when I lost my passport in my room or had it hidden by my daughter. I applied for a new one, anxiously awaiting its arrival as the date of my trip approached. Fortunately, the new passport arrived three days before my flight, and I was relieved as I didn’t want anything to stop me from going, especially after overcoming the challenges of border closures, poor wifi, and other obstacles.
December 2021
I woke up early on my travel day and set out at 5 a.m. My companion stayed up all night talking with me over FaceTime and made sure I safely boarded the plane. The anticipation of finally seeing him in person after so much virtual communication was palpable, as it would take a total of 24 hours and 4 hours of flight time to get to Lansing. My journey was from Dublin to Lisbon and then to Chicago. The flight was comfortable and I plan to write a review of the airline in the near future. When I stepped out of the airport, I finally laid eyes on him for the first time as he waited for me in his friend’s car. Our initial greeting was a bit awkward, but within minutes of getting in the car, he handed me his vape and we made physical contact. The need for touch after so many virtual conversations was intense and confirmed to me that my feelings were genuine and that he could possibly be my soulmate. However, I entered this experience with an open mind, as I had no idea what was going through his mind.
I mustered up the courage and initiated our first kiss while we were in his car outside the hotel. This bold move paid off, and by the end of the week, we were officially dating. He had been waiting for me to make the first move. A week later, he proposed to me in front of some of our friends via Zoom and we held a beautiful wedding ceremony at The Ledges.
Since December 2021
Despite facing challenges early on in our relationship, we persevered and proved our love for each other. The first year of our relationship saw us facing obstacles that many couples wouldn’t encounter. For the first six months of 2022, we were homeless and residing in a motel. In July 2022, we finally acquired our first apartment and our happiness knew no bounds. In April of the same year, my husband was arrested and we went through a difficult court process until July. Although I wasn’t present for his struggle with addiction, I had to manage the aftermath. Despite these difficulties, our love only grew stronger.
Despite facing numerous challenges in the first year of our relationship, including homelessness and my husband’s arrest, we’ve never given up on each other. Our love only grew stronger and in January 2023, we had a second wedding ceremony surrounded by the most important people in our lives. We celebrated our one-year anniversary in December 2022 and we were stronger than ever.
Love, Bee xxx