Luke & Lydia

Our Story

How two people found each other — and chose to build a life together.

It started with a prayer in a parking lot, a hike at Turkey Run, and a notification on a brand-new app. What followed was five hours at a taco restaurant, a question asked in French, and the beginning of everything.

The beginning

A Prayer in a Parking Lot

It started, as so many things do, with a prayer.

Walking out of L.A. Fitness one Thursday evening, Luke prayed — earnestly, specifically — asking God for someone in His timing. He sat in his truck for a while with that prayer still fresh, then did a little research. By the end of the evening, he had downloaded Hinge and built a profile. Then he went home.

That Saturday, he hiked Turkey Run State Park. Saturday evening, a notification arrived: a match, and a message waiting.

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The match

Same App. Same Church. Same Everything.

They messaged back and forth through the app for about a week — sporadically at first. Then Luke asked for her number, and she agreed. A few days later, he asked if they could meet for coffee or dinner.

She suggested coffee — lower pressure, she said. Then she texted asking if they could get some of the usual first-impression questions out of the way beforehand.

That was the moment everything changed. They quickly discovered they attended the same church — and then that they had a tremendous amount in common. The conversation that had been polite and measured became something else entirely. They texted nearly constantly for the next two days.

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First date

Five Hours at Torchy's

The plan was Starbucks in Avon. But about an hour before they were supposed to meet, Lydia was hungry — really hungry — and asked if they could go to Torchy's Tacos instead.

They sat down, started talking, and didn't stop.

Five hours later, they had closed out Torchy's. They moved next door to Graeter's ice cream and closed that out too. By any reasonable measure, it was a first date.

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Second date

Eagle Creek, and a Question in French

The next date was Tuesday at Eagle Creek Park. Having texted a fair bit Monday, Luke knew what he wanted to ask her.

At the park, on a bench along the trail, he asked Lydia to be his girlfriend — in French. She said yes.

What followed was a long stretch of everything good: endless texts and phone calls, hours of conversation, and many many more dates — hikes through state parks, a trip to Michigan, Ikea runs that turned into adventures of their own.

Luke and Lydia's hands, showing the engagement ring

Memories

A few favorites

Lydia's engagement ring
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