Love Unexpected: A true-life romance about a woman who took her dream trip and found unexpected love

Dawn, a ballet dancer, embarks on her two-week dream tour of Eastern Europe. Love is the last thing on her mind, but destiny has other plans. Why is it every time her eyes meet Willy’s an inexplicable connection ignites, sending sparks that both thrill and terrify her? With numerous obstacles between them, Dawn resolves to keep things platonic, even as the pull between them grows stronger. In this...

You’ve heard how our story began… but what did it take to build a life together after “I do”? In this Q&A bonus episode, I share what our first year of marriage really looked like—behind the scenes. The parts that were hard. The parts we didn’t expect. Walking through depression… navigating financial struggles… and trying to build a life together when everything still felt uncertain. But in th...

You’ve heard the story… but what happened after the honeymoon? In this Q&A bonus episode, Tom and I answer your questions and step into the moments that came next—the ones we didn’t fully share along the way. From journaling my love story journey in real time… to leading a mission team the next summer back to Poland and Ukraine where it all began. I reminisce about our second honeymoon through...

The celebration didn’t end with the ceremony. At the reception, everyone danced, ate, toasted, and celebrated for hours. And then, for the first time… Wiesiek and I were alone. Nervous. Tender. Eager. The next day, with our bags already packed, we left for Chattanooga. For five days, the world slowed down. And for the first time… we could begin to truly know each other— face to face, in this new l...

The day had finally arrived. After everything we had been through, we were standing on the edge of the moment we had fought so hard for. And from the very beginning… it was beautiful. Even though a small part of me had hoped for a different kind of proposal, the day unfolded in ways I could have never imagined. Friends and family gathered from near and far. Dancers danced. Singers and musicians fi...

After everything we had been through… we were finally together. When Vee and Sara arrived in the United States, the reunion felt like something out of a dream. After months apart, we were finally in the same place again. But there was no time to slow down. With only 17 days until the wedding, life moved quickly— teaching, planning, introducing them to everyone… and watching as they were welcomed w...

I wasn’t prepared for what I heard. After everything we had been through… I pressed play— and realized he was trying to let me go. Not because he didn’t love me— but because he believed he couldn’t give me the life I had always wanted. He was trying to do the right thing. But I couldn’t accept it. I knew God had brought us together— and I believed He would make a way for us. So I did something I h...

I set a wedding date… and hoped he’d make it. Wiesiek’s brother and his family came to the U.S. on vacation… and brought his paperwork with them. Just six weeks stood between us and the wedding. There was only one problem… we didn’t even know if he’d be there. And with only cassette tapes and letters between us, every conversation took weeks—and every misunderstanding lasted even longer. Then some...

I thought I had done everything I could. But nothing about this was simple. After realizing how complicated it would be to bring Wiesiek to the United States, I decided to do something bold— I gathered letters. Over 25 people shared their thoughts about our relationship, our story, and what they believed about us. I compiled everything—letters, photos, our story— and sent it to the American Embass...

You’ve heard my side of the story… now it’s time to hear his. In this bonus episode, Tom sits down with Wiesiek/Vee to talk about what was happening through his eyes during those two weeks in Europe. When did he first notice me? When did it become something more? And when did he know he was falling in love? For the first time, he shares his perspective on the moments we experienced together—what h...

Before you can fully understand our story… you need to understand his. In this bonus episode, Tom sits down with Willy/Wiesiek to uncover the story behind the man I met on that tour. From growing up in a Soviet and post-Soviet world… to his deep connection to music… and a life-altering battle with cancer… his journey was already unfolding in ways I knew nothing about. He shares how he ended up on...

I thought everything was moving forward. Caught up in the excitement, my parents took me wedding dress shopping—and even though I wasn’t sure I was ready, I found the dress almost immediately. But while life was moving ahead… staying connected wasn’t easy. With limited phone calls, one-way faxes, and letters that took days, we found a way to stay close—recording cassette tapes to each other. It wa...

I wasn’t ready to tell everyone. After returning home, the questions came quickly—about my trip, about my life… about my love life. But I wasn’t ready to share. Not yet. I wanted my parents to be the first to know. For a while, I managed to avoid the conversations. But eventually, I cracked—and told one person. And once I said it out loud… everything shifted. One by one, I began sharing the news w...

I thought I was ready. But once the reality of everything set in, I began to panic. Marriage. Moving across the world. Becoming a mother to his young daughter, Sara—who I had only just met. It all felt like too much, too fast. Even though Sara and I connected, the weight of what I was stepping into kept growing. Questions and fears filled my mind, and I couldn’t quiet them. That night, surrounded...

I didn’t expect it to happen this quickly. After an emotional—and unforgettable—flight, we landed back in Poland and went out to dinner together. Everything felt surreal. The next day, our final full day in Europe, we shared the news with the team— we were engaged. Just like that. While everyone else went out to explore Warsaw, we headed somewhere far more serious—the American Embassy to begin the...

I didn’t expect it to happen like that. After a full day in a small town outside of Kiev, our group toured an ancient cathedral. But instead of staying with everyone else, Willy pulled me aside and led me outside. He said something to me in Polish—words I didn’t understand, but somehow felt. And as the last light of the day faded, he took me in his arms and gave me our first kiss. The next morning...

I couldn’t ignore the question anymore— what were we? After the unexpected visits from my Russian friends and everything that had already happened between us, I felt like I was trying to process too much at once. As we explored Kiev together, it became harder to pretend nothing was going on. Willy wasn’t hiding how he felt anymore… and people were starting to notice. With only a few days left on t...

I wasn’t ready for how quickly everything started to unfold. After receiving overwhelming confirmation about my future—and about Willy—I did my best to keep my focus where it belonged. But even a simple morning at the church came with unexpected distractions… including an “interesting” moment I won’t soon forget. Running on little sleep, all I wanted was to go back to the hotel and rest. Instead,...

I didn’t expect another surprise. But when Olga suddenly appeared and joined us for the rest of the week in Ukraine, I had no idea how much that moment would matter. That night, sitting at dinner with Olga, Willy, and his family, something happened I couldn’t explain. I heard something. And it stopped me in my tracks. Later, as I sat with my friends, I was shown something even more unexpected—a vi...

I didn’t expect to fall in love with Ukraine so quickly. On my first morning there, I was overwhelmed—by the beauty, by the people, and by the heaviness I could see in so many faces. It stirred something deep in me and made me even more determined to pour myself into the mission. But even in the middle of it all, I couldn’t fully ignore him. Somewhere between dances, I found a note from Willy—clea...

After everything that happened the night before, I couldn’t shake the anger I felt toward Willy. But that anger didn’t stay simple for long. When I saw him give flowers to another woman, something unexpected rose up in me—jealousy, confusion… and a realization I didn’t want to face. So I made a decision: I would avoid him at all costs. As we prepared to leave Poland, I felt something else pulling...

I thought I knew why I was there. But as Willy continued to seek me out, I felt a tension I couldn’t ignore. I was certain I wasn’t interested in him romantically… and yet, something about him felt significant—like he might hold a key to my future. Determined to stay focused, I poured myself into the mission. And after a meaningful day of outreach, I was reminded again of why I came. But that nigh...

I tried not to think about him. After that unexpected moment on the very first night, I woke up to my first full day in Poland—completely unprepared. Missing clothing, colder weather than I expected, and a time difference I could feel in every step. As our team struggled to choreograph our dance, I found myself distracted. But a walk through town and a meaningful encounter with a group of Polish c...

I wasn’t looking for romance. The summer after graduating from college, I met dancers from a Ukrainian ballet company and formed unexpected friendships that awakened a deep desire in me to go to Eastern Europe. Just one week after receiving a prophecy—that before the end of the year I would travel overseas and meet my husband—an opportunity appeared. I was invited to join an arts outreach team tra...