Every relationship has its ups and downs, especially if it’s between two young people without much experience in the love department. These juvenile connections tend to fizzle out in immature and complicated ways.
When a 17-year-old girl from New Jersey fell for her best friend, she wasn’t quite ready to settle down, so they went their separate ways. When they shared a photo online years later, however, it quickly went viral for a reason the two never noticed before…
This young couple might not be famous, but with just one photograph they captured the world’s attention. Their story is one of love, heartbreak, finding oneself and making big changes.
Dan Hennessey was born in Edison, NJ in 1988. His strange journey into the limelight began when he was an 18-year-old sophomore at Montclair State University in New Jersey, where he studied exercise science. After two years at college, Dan felt lonely.
The search for human connection is hard, even in college when you’re surrounded by others. Because of this, Dan created a Facebook account to try to meet people. Specifically, he hoped to make a love connection.
He sent out a couple friend requests to girls near his town. One of them was Wendy Joseph, who was 17 at the time and still in high school in South Orange, NJ. Dan also reached out to her friend Daphne, which made Wendy suspicious and hesitant to respond.
Despite Wendy’s initial rejection, Dan was persistent, which eventually led to them chatting. They quickly found out they had some common interests, and Dan ended up inviting her over for a party. He expected her to say no, but she accepted. There was just one problem…
There was no party planned! Dan begged his friends to help him out, as he really wanted to impress Wendy, and they managed to throw a get-together in very little time. When Wendy arrived, there was definitely a crowd at Dan’s friend’s house, and she was excited to join in…
The two had good chemistry from the start, but since Dan was in college and Wendy was still in high school, they decided to remain friends. Still, they didn’t lose touch and kept hanging out over the following year. Though neither would admit it, they both got butterflies every time they were together.
Despite their intention to remain “just friends”, the young adults fell in love and wound up dating. They were happy together for several years but eventually Wendy dumped Dan in order to find herself — he agreed it was for the best.
And for the best it was! Wendy started her own YouTube channel, originally called “Wendy Curls” which featured hair and other beauty tutorials. She gained popularity rather quickly on YouTube, and even Instagram.
After saving the money she made on her Beauty channel, Wendy went back to school and got her Master’s Degree in Public Administration at the age of 25. This was a big accomplishment and fulfilled her need for independence and success. Perhaps she was ready to give her love-life another try…
When Wendy felt ready to reconnect with Dan, he was more than happy to pick up where they left off. The two rekindled their love quickly and felt much happier in their relationship now that they had worked on themselves.
Shortly after their 10-year anniversary, Wendy shared a side-by-side comparison of the couple in 2007 and in 2017. “I used to wear my hair stuck to my face every day and Dan used to shave every week! Now we just take serious swimsuit pictures in different countries.”
The couple’s transformation broke the internet overnight, with followers commenting things like “it looks like you aged backward!” After several years of working out, eating healthy, finding their style and growing their confidence, the two sure look like a million bucks.
In September 2016, the couple went on a trip to Paris together that changed everything. Wendy thought they were simply on a romantic vacation until Dan got down on one knee and proposed to her. Wendy screamed yes and soon showed off her new rock on Instagram.
The two have since been on a non-stop vacation, following their dreams. While keeping up their fitness-focused social media accounts, they have visited Thailand, Costa Rica, Panama, Colombia, and Las Vegas.
Wendy and Dan share their love and travel adventures on YouTube and Instagram, gaining them quite a few followers. Wendy’s YouTube channel has over 100,000 subscribers and her Instagram has reached 114,000 followers, while Dan has over 32,000!
In November of 2016, they started a joint Instagram account, where they share their diets and recipes, inspirational quotes and pictures, and of course their workout routines.
A couple who trains together stays together — or at least that’s what Wendy and Dan believe. Although they are already quite fit, they aren’t stopping anytime soon. Even on their vacations they keep each other company during work-outs and smile while they do so.
Although the two are both originally from New Jersey, they decided to move to the warmer climate of San Diego, California. This may be just the right place for them since they love working out outside and showing off their bathing suit bods.
The couple’s Instagram fitness page has recently branched out to include a website. Their goal is to help people around the world totally transform, just like they did!
The date of their wedding is still unknown, but Wendy and Dan are definitely enjoying their engagement and look forward to spending their life together.
Wendy’s story goes to show that sometimes you must fight for yourself before you can fight for your relationship. Now, she and Dan are happier than ever because they love not only each other, but themselves too.
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