Our story is proof of God's perfect timing. There were several close calls between us over the years: mutual locations, mutual friends, and mutual interests - but we never registered each other's existence. I am convinced we were not ready for each other yet; God was refining us to be each other's person later. The most obvious example of this is that Jeff and I attended SPU 3 of the same years. Jeff was a sophomore when I was a freshman. Alison, my college and current roommate, was very close with several freshmen on Jeff's floor (but never ran into him either). We have identified at least two events that we were both at the same time, but we have no recollection of each other. As a result, Jeff and I have several mutual friends and acquaintances from that time that really helped us vouch for each other in the early stages of dating! It has been fun for some of those people to see two worlds colliding in our relationship. So, how did we actually meet? We met on Hinge, the dating app. In March of 2021, I moved to downtown Woodinville and decided to try Hinge after a couple of friends had a good experience with the app. Within a week, I received a message from Jeff with a "rose" attached. I had no idea what that meant, but I was intimidated by the extra rose. I almost didn't respond! But Jeff was cute, he claimed to love Jesus, and he asked me a question about books, so I couldn't say no. We went on our first date on March 30th, 2021, and the rest is history, as they say. From the moment I met Jeff, I felt like I had met someone who understood me and was serious about their walk with Christ. He intentionally pursued me by planning fun dates and initiating great conversations. I am so thankful for him! Jeff's side of the story: I had witnessed success for several friends and family members on Hinge and decided to try it myself. I was on the app for several months before I found Abbe and quickly decided she was someone worth pursuing. I found her to be fun to talk to, intelligent and accomplished, a thoughtful follower of Christ, and so beautiful! Abbe has become my very best friend. I am so thankful for her. Thank you to everyone in our lives that has embraced our relationship and gotten to know us in the last year. We are so excited to celebrate with you all in November!