deuna and roderick

We met in June 2024, in the most modern way possible— through Instagram. What started as messages and curiosity quickly turned into something neither of us expected. At the time, his world was small; he was on house arrest, learning patience and humility in a season that demanded both. So our first date didn't happen at a candlelit restaurant or a crowded bar-it happened at his house. We ate a seafood boils amongst candle light . And somehow, that made it even more intentional. No distractions. Just two people choosing to really see each other.

By our second date, we were already finding ways to make the impossible work. We went to Flight, and just in case life tried to interrupt us, he brought his work materials along so it could pass as a meeting if his probation officer ever asked. It sounds unconventional-but it was us from the start: committed, creative, and determined to choose each other no matter the circumstances.

In the weeks that followed, he began telling his family I was his wife. I laughed it off, thinking he was joking-because surely things don't move that fast. But he knew. He knew before I did.
What felt sudden to me felt certain to him.
Then life called me to Nashville for a travel nursing assignment.
Distance tried to step in, but love stepped up instead. He came to see me weekly, showing me again and again that
consistency is its own kind of romance. Not long after, we were engaged and he did what he's always done: he provided.

He moved us into a home, not just a place to live, but a place to grow.

What I love most isn't just the big gestures. It's how attentive he is. How gentle he is with my heart. How he leads without overpowering, protects without controlling, and gives me space to become all that God is shaping me to be. I love that he has a real relationship with God.
I love that his heart is pure. I love that his strength is matched by his tenderness.

Ours isn't a picture-perfect story
—it's better. It's real. It's rooted.
It's built on faith, effort, and intention. And I can't wait to marry the man who proved, from the very beginning, that love doesn't wait for perfect conditions-it creates them.