Sharing life moments on social media has become a part of people’s routines. The day begins with a post followed by breakfast and ends with another that sums up the events of the day. Everyone loves to post pictures with their partners and tell the world how they are in love and that is beautiful. However, you can’t predict what might go viral in a few moments after you click that “upload” button. That’s how the internet works now. Ask Wendy Joseph and Dan Hennessey who posted a picture and didn’t realize why it was receiving such attention. The comments enlightened them with the “secret”!
Stepping Into College
We all have been there with hearts pacing and excitement levels increasing as the first day of college approaches. It was no different for 17-year-old Wendy Joseph who got into Montclair State University to obtain a degree in public healthcare. Born in Haiti, this girl made New Jersey her home for a long time and soon, found her college very close to the state. She did not know what experiences await her and most importantly, who is waiting for her. She had an admirer and as always, this love came with a twist.
Trying To Connect Online
Let’s travel back to 2006 and recall what people were gripped to then. Facebook, right? Wendy had just stepped into the world of Facebook when she came across a message from a guy named Dan Hennessey. It was a small text as Dan introduced himself but Wendy wasn’t sure about this unexpected note. She later shared, “first of all, I don’t know you, and I do not trust the Internet.” She was puzzled and that’s when she decided to explain the situation to someone.
The Start Is Always Tricky
Dan, an 18-years-old sophomore at Montclair State University kept himself updated with the new social media platform. This student of Exercise Science spent a lot of time on Facebook and wished to make some friends or even find someone to date. That is just a summary of college life. Since Wendy was new to social media, she couldn’t gather much information on this guy who texted her. That’s when she came with an idea to know more about Dan.
The Message Chaos
Wendy wanted to know about this guy Dan Hennessey who just sent her a message on Facebook. So, the investigation began. Although she found him decent, she still needed to confirm certain things before she texted him back. She couldn’t understand why a sophomore would approach a freshman year student. This is when her best friend Daphne came into the picture. When Wendy showed her the messages and Dan’s profile, Daphne had a weird look on her face. That look carried some bad news.
Trouble In The House
Daphne informed Wendy that this guy had sent her a message too. That’s where things became complicated. “Daphne looked at his picture and was like ‘Dan? He tried to talk to me too,’” Wendy revealed. “I was like, yeah, I’m definitely not going to talk to him because he tried to talk to my best friend.” Dan called for trouble himself and we wonder if there was a way out of this mess he had created.
Story On The Other Side
Dan explained later that while he looked at profiles on this platform, he stumbled upon Daphne’s profile and left a message, and later when he saw Wendy, he was quite impressed by her. “Then,…I saw that one of her friends was Wendy, and I was like ‘wow this girl looks phenomenal, let me say hello,’” he shared. He could have never predicted the complications that would arise as a result of these messages.
Left On Read
Wendy was no longer interested in responding to Dan after she was made aware of his weird action by her best friend. So, she didn’t reply to that message and didn’t think much about the consequences. However, the story was going in a different direction on Dan’s end. His mind was stuck on this girl and when she didn’t reply, he was quite upset. Dan wasn’t ready to give up on her so soon. He decided to contact her again but this time, he planned a charming move.
A Direct Route
After Wendy didn’t respond to any of his messages after all the chaos, Dan slid into her messages again. Wendy was baffled and couldn’t tell what was going on in this guy’s mind. She did some research and found out that they had mutual contacts and some of them were her hometown friends. That information helped Wendy relax and take any further steps. She no longer doubted Dan and knew what she had to do next.
A Conversation Commenced
After Dan’s second attempt, Wendy texted him back, and soon, quite a few messages were being exchanged between the two every day on Facebook. Their talking phase was going really well as they were being enlightened about each other on a personal level. Dan wanted to take this further by asking her out. However, he wasn’t following a conventional road here. Finally, Dan asked her if she would come to their big party at his apartment. Turns out, his plan was a bit flawed.
Party Prep
Dan and his roommates were known around the campus for organizing parties with their neighbors. However, when Dan invited Wendy to his apartment for the party, the situation was very unusual. There was no actual party. But if she had said yes then we would have created one,” Dan recalled. Turns out, Wendy accepted the invitation and now, Dan had to make party arrangements.
Building The Bond
Being a basketball player in the college, Dan had plenty of friends at Montclair State University. So, preparing a guest list was no trouble for this college sophomore. His roommates lent him a helping hand to organize the last-minute party. Wendy arrived at the party a little after it started with a few of her friends. “We danced all night, we were talking, but by the end of the night everybody left and we were still there,” she revealed. However, their romance was turning out to be out of the ordinary.
Figuring Things Out
After having a great time at the party that Dan and Wendy stayed in touch and were texting each other. Where was this thing going for them? Their friends knew something was brewing between them. However, Wendy and Dan did not want to rush into anything, and eventually, the spark was vanishing. “She had gotten out of a relationship and I was kind of partying it up, so to speak, so we were not looking for anything serious. We were still really interested in each other,” Dan shared. Was their friendship approaching an end?
Sensing The Spark
Dan and Wendy may have decided to just stay friends, their fate was not aligning with this decision. Their respective friend groups were hanging out together but Dan and Wendy were adamant about staying right where they were in this situation. However, their friends could still sense the spark of love between the two. Dan’s birthday was around the corner and this one event was about to turn everything.
Birthday Dinner
On Dan’s birthday, Wendy wished him over a text. He responded and asked her out to dinner for celebrating his day. Later that week, the two met up and went out. Dan revealed, “we decided ‘let’s actually try this and see where it can go.’” They were ready to give it another chance. Wendy and Dan began dating officially but their relationship wasn’t on a smooth track.
Love Blossomed
After being friends for a while, they grew closer, and soon, they confessed their feelings for one another. Seven Years passed and they were still a couple who were definitely inseparable. Seven years is a long time for attachments to grow stronger. Apart from this attachment, these two were also becoming dependent on each other which is quite normal in romantic relationships. Wendy had always loved being independent and now, it was time to accept some harsh truths that might leave this couple in a tough phase.
Dreams To Fulfill
Wendy could feel a change in herself while she was in this relationship and when it was time to bid goodbye to college, she reminded herself of all the goals she wanted to achieve in her life. Her dreams could never take a backseat for her. So, she decided to shift her focus and build what she had envisioned for herself all this while. It was time to make some hard choices and their relationship was stuck in the middle of the sea with no shore in sight.
They Broke Up
Wendy had to make the hard choice as she had to follow her ambitions and did not want to be dependent on anyone for her dreams. The hearts broke and they decided to go separate ways. This break-up was difficult for both of them but they knew it was for the better and they both had something unthinkable in store for them. Wendy followed her passion and started a YouTube channel called Wendy's Curls where she shared some hairstyling tips and hacks for her followers. Soon, one incident would transform everything.
Towards Stardom
Wendy’s YouTube channel received quite a lot of appreciation and her followers were increasing every day as people were loving her videos that revolved around makeup, workout, hair care tips, and various tutorials. Dan was also chasing his goals and doing brilliantly in his life. However, Wendy was still somewhere in the back of his mind. Their hearts still ached from that sudden break-up but they didn’t let it intervene with their progress. The unexpected happened after a while as they two headed towards another chapter.
Lost And Found
Although Wendy and Dan rose in their fields of work individually and had stable careers after one and a half years, they didn’t know that the love that once existed in their lives had a return ticket too. They crossed paths one day and their love came flooding at that moment. It felt like they had never been apart. This led them to make a decision of giving another chance to this relationship. But the twists never end, right?
Growing Together
Wendy had an incredible following on social media and her YouTube videos made her a celebrity on social media. For Dan, staying fit had always been a priority and so, he made an account where he posted all about his workout and fitness routine. The growth happened gradually for him too. Dan even featured in Wendy’s videos where they spoke about their love story. These videos garnered a lot of attention for all the right reasons. Another surprise was on the way!
Celebrating The Love
This miraculous couple realized they had known each other for a decade and so, they wished to make their 10-year-anniversary memorable by sharing this blissful moment with their thousands of followers. Wendy decided to post a picture of them together. Here was the twist – she found their college photo where they posed together and merged it with their current one. It was really thoughtful of her to do such a thing for celebrating their love but as soon as he posted this picture, the unbelievable happened.
A Viral Post
The caption of her picture read, “10 year difference! Left 2007, Right 2017. I used to have a perm and wear my hair stuck to my face everyday, and [Dan] used to shave once a week! Now we take serious swimsuit pictures in different countries.” It didn’t take long for this photo to go viral on the social media platform. Receiving 60,000 likes in a few weeks is a big deal. The comments section was overloaded. It took a while for them to figure out what this attention was all about.
Comments Reveal The Truth
This fame came to Dan and Wendy out of the blue as they didn’t see it coming. Their post was being shared by some really popular news sources. They turned to the comment section to know the truth. People had written just one thing in different forms. “Did you both age in reverse??” one comment read and then it just went on! “You wanna tell me how you aged backwards? What fountain of youth are you drinking from??” These are just a few of the many appreciative words that flooded the comments section. They knew what to do next.
Moving Towards Fitness
Dan and Wendy had always given priority to staying fit and following a healthy lifestyle. So, the way they transformed in 10 years was not surprising for them but it was astonishing for the ones who saw the post. The recognition that they received inspired them to take the next step in this field. So, Wendy’s YouTube channel became a source of health and fitness content as well. They started posting their fitness regimes and workout videos on the channel. They did what they loved and the next step involved following it truly.
A New Venture
Uploading YouTube videos became a regular thing for this couple but they wanted to take this to the next level and start something new related to health and fitness. When you are passionate about something, you keep chasing it until you reach the destination. That’s what happened to them - a business idea evolved. They named their fitness coaching company True4You Fitness. They had many clients who approached them for advice on staying healthy and fit. There was more on its way.
Surprises Won’t End
Their company received a great response and they worked hard on growing their business which involved starting a separate YouTube channel where they only uploaded fitness videos. Let’s talk about their personal lives here too. The surprises awaited them. In September 2016, the couple took a vacation and headed to Paris. Dan had planned a beautiful proposal for the love of his life and it happened on their visit to the Eiffel Tower. Dan asked her to marry him and Wendy just excitedly screamed “Yes”! It was magical. A new chapter was being written now.
Grabbing The Opportunities
Dan and Wendy loved traveling and they decided to explore the world together. They had saved enough and soon, made wonderful memories in Panama, Columbia, Costa Rica, and Thailand. While roaming on the streets of new places, they met so many people, and one couple told them to enter the world of modeling. This stuck with Dan and he contacted a few modeling agencies. He didn’t realize but this new adventure had something unanticipated hidden beneath it.
Fame Followed
The modeling agencies gave a positive response to Dan. They even approached Wendy and she landed some big contracts. The couple gained fame in this industry and people were recognizing them. This success took them to New York and they moved there to stay focused on the modeling careers that they had built. From social media fame to the modeling industry, Dan and Wendy had come a long way. They were meant to be together despite all the challenges that blocked their way for a while.
Grateful For This Life
Dan and Wendy have been with each other through thick and thin and continue to do so. Their relationship witnessed so many ups and downs but destiny brought them together after all of it. They are grateful for everything and all the love that people showered on them. They can’t wait for all that lies ahead of them. We know they would have an incredible life as a married couple.
