Abby & Lance

I Just Met My Wife

Our story began in April of 2024 when we both swiped right on the Christian dating app Upward—a simple decision that led to the greatest blessing of our lives.

At the time, Lance was considering deleting the app. Living in a smaller area meant limited matches, and many profiles were from over 300 miles away. Still, he decided to keep Upward a little longer as he moved into a new house with his longtime friend Gary—unaware that the house was only about a mile from Abby’s grandma’s home, where she was living while finishing PA school.

In true Abby fashion, she messaged first. She thought Lance was cute and didn’t want to wait. Her opening message? A comment about the Fast and Furious movie franchise—Lance’s all-time favorite. He vividly remembers reading that message and telling his roommate, “I just met my wife.”

After a few days of texting, Lance asked Abby out. From the beginning, Abby noticed how intentional and caring he was, even through text, as they talked about their values and what they wanted in a relationship. Their first date was on May 3, 2024, when they met in the Getaway Golf parking lot. Neither of them remembers who won the games, but both knew they had met someone special.

The date continued to Andy’s, where Lance attempted to impress Abby with his sports car as he sped down Sunshine. Sitting on a bench together, they continued getting to know each other—until Abby suggested bowling because she didn’t want the date to end. After bowling, Lance dropped Abby back at her car (not before she accidentally dinged his car door on a pole), and they both went home knowing they wanted to see each other again soon.

The very next day, Abby was studying at a coffee shop with her best friend and decided to ask Lance on another date—a double date to the movies. Lance waited ten minutes to respond so he wouldn’t seem too eager, though he was thrilled. The date went so well that the following day Abby made an excuse to grab McDonald’s during a study break, hoping to drop off a McDouble at Lance’s house.

Instead, Lance joined her for McDonald’s but insisted she go home and study. With an important psychology end-of-rotation test coming up, he didn’t want to be a distraction. Still, the night before the exam, Abby finally took a break. Lance brought her dinner, and they watched Dune together to help her relax.

That night—despite saying he wanted to wait a few more dates—Lance asked Abby to go “steady.” Abby happily said yes, and in that moment, she knew she had met her husband and lifelong partner.

Through Upward, God aligned two lives at just the right time. What started as a swipe became a first date, then a relationship built on intention, faith, and love—and ultimately, an engagement. We are forever grateful that Upward played a role in bringing us together.