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July 31, 2021
Cleveland, GA

Andi & Jonathan

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Jonathan Gillis

and

Andi Clements

July 31, 2021

Cleveland, GA

How we met

Andi's Perspective Part 1

During my junior and senior year of college, I had the enormous privilege of living with Sarah Hatton- now, wife of Shane Lympany. Over those years, I had heard much about this elusive Jonathan Gillis character, Shane's roommate. According to them, we were perfect for each other. I think it had something to do with my love for Hans Zimmer, Jonathan's love for John Williams, and our shared trait of just being overall strange people. A couple of years go by and Jonathan's name was still casually dropped here and there. In the back of my mind, I was always hopeful that maybe someday, somehow, Jonathan and I would get to have our meet cute. This hopeful feeling that I had been nurturing for a while suddenly took an exponential leap upwards when Sarah and Shane became engaged. I knew I would be in the wedding, and I knew Jonathan would be in the wedding. Shane and Sarah were also the greatest friends alive, and promptly decided to pair us together in the bridal party. I tried to be discreet in my questioning, but I'm sure I was not. "Will Jonathan be at this party?" "Is Shane talking to Jonathan right now?" I don't know why I thought being invited to the same event would cause Jonathan to manifest during unrelated events, but I did. Fast forward to the night of the rehearsal dinner. My best friend, Rachel Downs, and I entered the church to proceed with the rehearsal. Without even having to study the crowd inside, I knew Jonathan was the one in the blue shirt, talking a little louder than everybody else, and using his hands in a sweeping fashion to get his point across to the person he was talking with. I coolly kept my distance, convincing myself that, if I took a turn around the church like an idiot, he would notice me.

How we met

Andi's Perspective Part 2

After the bridal party lined up on stage, each bridesmaid/groomsman pair began to file back down the aisle. We introduced ourselves, arm in arm, and didn't stray very far from each other the rest of the night. From eating fried chicken with our hands to laughing every minute, it was a perfect night followed by a perfect wedding day with dancing and more talking. I mentioned I was going to be working at an art museum in the upcoming summer, and he told me to let him know if any interesting exhibits were going to be displayed. We became Facebook friends and I sent him some absolutely irrelevant article about a Dutch (?) art exhibit. We started to talk non-stop for a few weeks and he told me he was coming to Atlanta and wanted to know if he could stop by Athens on his way back home to Savannah. He came about a week later and our first date consisted of a lovely walk, greasy delicious hamburgers, and me absolutely SCHOOLING him at Lord of the Rings Trivial Pursuit. That first date turned into various anniversaries, endless adventures, lots of Harry Potter and Star Trek, and an incredible amount of love. Cheers Javier!

How we met

Jonathan's Perspective Part 1

Shane Lympany is one of the best people I know and has always looked out for me. He was looking out for me when he and his fiance - now wife, Sarah - paired Andi and me together in their bridal party. I knew very little about Andi before Shane and Sarah's wedding, but I did know that Shane and Sarah took great care in pairing Andi and me together. At the rehearsal dinner, Andi and her best friend Rachel sat with myself and some of the other groomsman. I distinctly remember being on my best behavior in an attempt to catch Andi's eye, but there was a problem: fried chicken was on the menu. It's not fine dining etiquette to use your hands, but you can't eat fried chicken with a fork and a knife. I dug in and enjoyed, hoping that my boorish behavior wouldn't put Andi off. Luckily enough, it wasn't. After dinner, several members of the bridal party went to a local Athens spot to hang out. Andi joined late but all the seats next to me at the picnic table were full. Fortunately, somebody gave Andi their seat on the end and we talked behind everyone's back, off in our own conversation.

How we met

Jonathan's Perspective Part 2

Less than two weeks after the wedding, Andi messaged me about an immersive Van Gogh exhibit in Europe. After that first message, we were off to the races. It wasn't long before I was devising an excuse to return to Athens, GA to see Andi in person. I claimed that I could pass through Athens after visiting my good friend John in Atlanta. I hadn't see John in a long time and I happened to stop by on the same Friday night he decided to host a BBQ at his apartment. We stayed up late talking and catching up. I don't think I went to bed till 3 AM. I got up Saturday and headed to Athens - tired but determined to see Andi. We decided that a walk through the Georgia Botanical Gardens was the best way to spend the afternoon. The time flew by and it wasn't long until I asked Andi if we could go somewhere to get water and she recommended Sonic. I had never been to Sonic in my life, but apparently a Sonic slushy would quench my thirst better than water. Believe it or not, I fell asleep in the 9 minute drive from the Botanical Gardens to Sonic and was jolted awake when we entered the parking lot. I was so embarrassed. I thought that I completely ruined our date and that Andi would take me back to my car and send me home. But Andi rolled with it and we had a wonderful night. I still fall asleep in the car when Andi drives, but I don't wake up embarrassed. Now I wake up, look over to her and smile. I love you sweetheart.

For all the days along the way
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