Lindsay and Loren finally met in person after chatting online on OkCupid. They both originally chose OkCupid because it seemed to incorporate LGBTQ+ gender and sexuality terminology into their dating profiles. As Loren explained, "It's been a good place for me as a trans and queer person to suss out people who are actually down with others like me and those who aren't. Lindsay is that amazing person who not only is just interested in a person regardless of identity, but also open about her interests." Their first virtual interaction was precipitated because Lindsay works in higher ed, and talked about it, and that was something Loren was interested in too.
They got to talking, and Lindsay made the first move, asking Loren to pumpkin spice lattes! Their first date over lattes, Loren noticed Lindsay's curly hair, adorable nose ring, and birkenstocks. Loren remembers that he had to make it really clear to Lindsay that he was flirting with her, because apparently, she couldn't tell!
Although there's typically a "waiting period" after first dates (a couple days, right?) - Lindsay messaged Loren asking to meet up again just 30 seconds after they said goodbye! They scheduled their second date, and haven't been apart since.
As Loren explained to me, "She listens to me. She cares about me. We share a lot in common and we both keep at it when things get tough. She's the best thing in my life, and I love her more each day. I can't say I thought life would be anything like it is today, but I would rather take on the hardest parts of the world with her than without her. She just makes life easier. Even when it's our own relationship that's tough."
I met Lindsay on a trip to Israel a few years ago, and we ended up rooming together with a few other girls during the trip. We got along splendidly, and we stayed in touch after getting back to the US. When a group of us met up in Connecticut (central point to our little friend group) for a reunion, we got to hear a little about this person named "Loren." Lindsay talked about him as a permanent fixture in her life - someone she shared everything with, used for support, and truly enjoyed spending her life with. They had moved to Philly together, and were facing difficult challenges with a house they had bought. We could all just tell how serious Lindsay was about Loren.
So we all got interested, and when a mutual friend and I were headed to PA, I reached out to Lindsay to see if she wanted to meet up. Little did I know that Loren would be joining, and I'd end up loving him as much as I love Lindsay!
Needless to say, we all finally got to meet this boy Lindsay's been dreamily talking about for so long, and we all realized how incredible of a couple they are together. I'm so proud to have finally gotten to meet Loren and see the love between him and Lindsay. The cherry on the cake was that I got to take their engagement photos while we were in Hershey, PA! Yes, we took photos at the Hershey theme park - be thankful I didn't make the Reeses Cup pose with them! (Loren loves Reeses almost as much as I do...)