In August 2016 both of us felt called to try online dating. In October we got matched on eHarmony, and began communicating. We were both wary of online connections, but soon enough we'd realize how God had brought us together at the exact, right time!

Our first date was December 9, a simple dinner out. Afterward we both thanked each other and were interested to learn more. Amy planned our second date on December 17, and this was when we both realized the other person was *really* fun! Being together was just so natural! And to close out the year on December 31, Amy bravely came out to a New Year's Eve party at a home in the hills! This night showed both of us how natural it felt to be together. We talked, played games, and laughed! It honestly felt like we had been married 10 years.

After the amazing New Year's Eve party, we were both very eager to meet as much as possible. Being winter, we began meeting at Northtown Mall to have dinner, walk around the mall, and find a nice quiet spot to sit on a couch and talk. Our first Northtown Mall date on January 7 was a perfect 10 out of 10 night! We had dinner and shared some of our fears and struggles. Then we walked the mall and had *so much fun*! We went into 'The Comic Book Shop' and made each other laugh and laugh. Nick learned how clever Amy is, and Amy learned how quirky and fun Nick is! After that first night, we continued countless more trips to Northtown, growing closer together, sharing our lives and our hearts. It was here to Nick worked up the courage to ask Amy to let him be the first guy ever to romantically hold her hand. And we joked that we were reliving the teenage years we both never had, since neither of us ever dated at the mall or whatnot.

Our relationship was moving at light-speed from the start of January to the middle of the month. We had already talked about so many deep and emotional topics and texted so many encouraging things to each other. So on Sunday, January 15th, we began what Nick thought was just another date, but Amy had other plans! We had coffee downtown, many laughs at some game stores at Riverpark Square, and then sat down on some couches. Nick knew Amy was concerned about whether Nick wanted to pursue her exclusively, so Nick felt it was time to let Amy know that there was *only her, nobody else*. Nick made it clear he would only date Amy. Amy, always a clever and adorable girl, then said a bit slowly, "So...I guess...that makes me...your girlfriend?" Nick wasn't expecting that, but he thought for a moment and said, "Yes, I suppose it does!" What followed was a wonderful heart to heart talk over dinner at Twigs. We shared more about our lives as we both realized this was very much *for real*!

We both fell in love so quickly and easily during January, but we both wanted to wait for a special occasion to say "I love you." Neither of us had ever said those words to anyone before, so we both secretly purposed to wait until February 14th, Valentine's Day. It was *very* hard for Nick to wait because to know Amy is to *love* Amy. The "love" word slipped out a few times, but on Valentine's Day we had a nice dinner and went to Amy's place. There Nick told Amy he MADLY loved her, but it was ok if she didn't want to say anything back. Amy waited a few moments in silence, much to Nick's dismay. Then Amy gave him a card, asking him to read it. She wrote that she was *completely* in love with Nick and he had changed her life forever. We both felt joy mixed with shock. It was hard to believe this was *finally* happening to us! It was a perfect night, knowing that we had found the right person after so many years of waiting.

We both are the type who know how to get things done, so we wasted no time in planning the events necessary for the inevitable wedding! We planned the wedding date (always good to start with the end-goal in mind), booked our church, and began thinking of the engagement. On April 1st we went ring shopping (no joke) and Amy fell in love with a beautiful ring that day. As far as meeting the in-laws goes, Amy met Nick's family at the end of March, and Nick met Amy's parents the second week of April. After Nick got permission to marry her from her father, Nick proposed just as soon as he got his hands on that beautiful engagement ring, but that's the next part of the story...

We had talked about how fun it would be to get engaged April 15th, since that is 3 months since our January 15th boyfriend/girlfriend date and 3 months until our July 15th wedding. However, the ring was delayed and it wasn't certain if it would arrive in time. Literally a half hour before we planned to go get engaged the overnight-shipped ring arrived at the store. Close call! So Nick took Amy to Tubbs Hill in Coeur d' Alene, Idaho. This spot is meaningful to us both, and Nick used to go here when he was younger. Nick knew of a secret sitting spot on a boulder right by the lake. We went there and sat down and talked for a bit. Then Nick asked Amy if he could sing her a song and proceeded to serenade his gorgeous gal. Then Nick grabbed something out of his backpack, and Amy asked if she should stand (she's too clever to fool). Nick awkwardly took a knee on the rocks as Amy carefully stood up and the rest is history (she said yes!).

And that brings us up to now, the three-month period before the wedding. Thank you *so* much for being a part of our lives! We hope you enjoyed reading our story, and we truly hope you can make it to the wedding on July 15th at Spokane Baptist Church, 4506 N Harvard Rd, Otis Orchards, WA 99027. Please visit the rest of our website, and feel free to contact us if we can help clarify anything else! We love you all so much! -Amy Mattie & Nick McCaskey