It all began at a networking event for the upcoming leadership class for our chamber of commerce. Justin was attending as an alumni of the program, Allison was newer to the area and attending for the incoming class. He saw her from across the room and mentioned to a friend "I'm going to get her number". But... they never had a chance to connect that day. A couple weeks went by, and Justin's company was having an open house/ribbon cutting for their new office. As everyone was mingling, Justin saw a friend of his in conversation with Allison and he found his opportunity to introduce himself. With just a few minutes of small talk before we had the ribbon cutting, Justin walked away anticipating the next time they would see each other. A month goes by and the day of the chamber leadership class Seven Communities Tour came and Justin volunteered that day as a class alumni. As the day progressed, and with each unload/load of the bus, Justin kept working his way towards the back of the bus where Allison was sitting. By the end of the afternoon, he found himself in the seat immediately in front of her. As they traveled back, Justin and Allison chatted about their lives and shared a few jokes. As the bus returned to Roanoke, a group of classmates were going to Wise Guys for a post class beverage. As Justin walked down Oak Street, he paced himself so that Allison could catch up with him. as they stood out in front of the old Roanoke City hHall, Justin asked for Allison's phone number and opportunity to get together in the future. Three weeks go by of Justin's attempts to get together and Allison coming up with excuses (hesitant to date someone in the Chamber social circle). Finally (!!) she called him up one night and asked if he wanted to catch the end of the Stoney la Rue concert at Chop Shop. Fortunately, the concert was over when they arrived so they spent the whole evening talking and laughing. That was October 18, 2018 and the two have been inseparable ever since.

In the week leading up to Easter, our pastors sent out an email going over online service. With the shutdown, we were getting used having Sunday worship in our living room .... maybe a little more casual than if we were in the sanctuary! In the email, our pastors encouraged us to act just like this was a normal Easter. Put on our Sunday best, maybe take some family photos, etc. Justin echoed this idea of getting dressed up for church Easter morning. The day of arrives and there is already a mixture of emotions not celebrating and partaking in all of our normal traditions with family that day. But excited to celebrate our Risen Lord, we got up and Justin brought me coffee in bed. Not uncommon but thank you sweetie! As I started to get ready for church he was showered, dressed and pretty much ready to go (even his hair was combed and styled). Keep in mind, we are still in the middle of the shutdown and really no where else to go later that day. I remember thinking "Wow, he's really getting ready!" Then, he started to make breakfast. I continue to get more suspicious. As he hands me my plate, he says that he has an Easter egg hunt planned just for fun since we can't be with our families that day. As he closes the door behind him to go hide the eggs, I begin to explode in pure excitement. I knew something special was about to happen on the other side of that door. Perfectly placed around the home were brightly colored eggs but one special, golden, egg hid the best prize a girl could ask for.