We met for the first time when I moved back to Wausau in the Spring of 2021 and started looking for a house with the highly-recommended real estate rockstar Austin Solomon. His demeanor was far gentler than I expected for how many signs his face was on around town. Austin was kind and unhurried. Because I don’t have to worry about “playing it cool” anymore, I’ll admit - I was intrigued after our first meeting. (Maggie)

For a while, I thought Maggie was coming to the house showings from work, but then I learned she worked from home (at that point) most days. Here she was getting a little “gussied up.” (Austin)

Our first date included paddleboarding, trying out Austin’s stand-up jetski, which I apparently did well enough to be a little impressive, Briqs ice cream, and talking for a long time while sitting by the water. It was the best first date! Austin was lowkey at the house showings and sometimes quieter around other people. The first date was really fun, but I also loved how naturally our conversations flowed in the one-on-one dynamic. (Maggie)

We dated for a few months and, while it was a sweet dynamic and we had a lot of fun together, we broke up. Maggie had some questions about my prioritization of my career and my walk with the Lord. The conversation wasn’t easy. Hearing about how she saw me hurt. In the moment, I knew it would be hard to stay together and grow. But that night, I surrendered real estate to the Lord and began the process of placing my identity in Christ. (Austin)

A few months later, Sam and Hannah (my older brother and sister-in-law) were looking for house with Wausau-area’s best realtor, Austin Solomon. Sam and Austin had been friends for a while, and since the breakup, they’d gotten closer again. Sam told me that Austin had been really growing in his faith and that I should maybe think again about dating Austin. Being fans of the idea, Sam and Hannah insisted I come along to a few of the house showings. It wasn’t super awkward around Austin at the showings. It was really nice to be around him again. I remember one of the showings we stood after and got talking. Everyone else was clearly ready to get going with the day but we were very content right there in a stranger’s living room. (Maggie)

I had grown! And I was still intrigued by Maggie... After those few showings with Sam and Hannah, I asked Maggie if she’d be up for grabbing dinner. Thankfully she said yes. We met at one of our favorites, Red Eye, and it was really sweet to reconnect and hear how she’d be doing. I shared with her how the conversation we had in the fall was really hard, but it was a needed catalyst in my walk with the Lord. “I surrendered real estate to the Lord that same night.” (Austin)

It was awesome to hear how the Lord had opened Austin’s heart and eyes through that conversation. I’ve been through other breakups, and the pain of hurting someone else is awful, regardless of how clear the decision is. I knew that breakup conversation was painful, so hearing Austin say he invited the Lord into a realm he’d previously walled off the night we broke up because of our conversation was like - wow, the Lord is so kind to use that for so much good. (Maggie)

We started dating again and resumed the fun we had together before but also enjoyed a new depth in our dynamic as we had deeper conversations about faith. Talking about those topics was a little uncomfortable for a while because I knew Maggie had gone to seminary and had a depth of education. But the more we opened up to each other, the more I grew in appreciating her insights… (Austin)

You’d be here reading all day if we included all the details in the world, so I’ll jump to the next big event. The longer Austin and I dated, the more insecure and anxious I felt. Looking back on that tumultuous season, I have way more clarity on what the root issues were. But at the time, I was confused. I consistently questioned if Austin really loved me, and I was trying to answer that question by analyzing his every move. Not a very helpful approach - surprise surprise. This is where it gets pretty humbling for me because I like to think I’m a pretty aware person. But the chaotic mess I felt stuck in was far more of my own fault than Austin’s. Sure, my perpetual questioning hurt him, and he’d often respond by pulling back. Now I don’t blame him. No one likes to feel like a perpetual failure. After a long stretch of roller coaster riding (and lots of hard conversations together, with mentors, family, friends) our future wasn’t coming together like I hoped it would. (Maggie)

It’s hard to boil it all down, but that’s a fair recap. I’d add that I really did love Maggie, but her questioning of that landed heavy. I knew one of the pain points for her was that I wasn’t ready to move forward toward marriage, but it’s because I’d often think, “If this is what marriage will be like, if this is how I’d often feel, I don’t think that sounds too good. I don’t think this is how it should be.” Looking back, I could have communicated that more clearly instead of being afraid to hurt Maggie. We both have things we would have done differently, but at the time, we really were trying our best to figure it out. (Austin)

So in September of 2023, we broke up again. I thought I’d be more emotionally prepared because of what the previous few months looked like, but I was deeply sad. I really had wanted it to marry Austin and for things to come together for us. I still believe it was the right choice and that the peace I experienced to go through with the breakup was genuinely from the Lord. (Maggie)

It was a very thought-out and prayed over decision for both of us, and while I may not have been quite as ready to call it quits, I remember both agreeing, “If the Lord would have for us to get married, I think there would be a lot more peace in our relationship.” (Austin)