In August of 2022, Andrew Hood and Rachel Witmer began a year-long program in Colorado through Sky Ranch called the Fellowship. In the Fellowship, about 15 recent college graduates live in close proximity, working, living, and playing together. In the first few weeks, both Andrew and Rachel were smitten with one another, although neither knew that the other was interested. Because Sky Ranch has a strict no-dating policy in the Fellowship until the month of February, Andrew and Rachel remained friends and nothing more. Throughout these 6 months of noncommittal friendship, Andrew and Rachel were able to see each other in many situations, further confirming romantic and covenantal interest in each other. Therefore, once the first day of hunting season began, Andrew asked Rachel to go on a walk the next morning. Rachel said yes to the walk, and on that walk she also said yes to going on a date! For about 3 and a half weeks, Andrew and Rachel went on several dates and continued getting to know each other better. On a snowy, magical March 1, Andrew and Rachel spent the majority of the day apart. However, that evening Andrew had cooked up a little something special to make things official. Dressed in their finest attire, Andrew and Rachel sat down at an exquisitely designed dining table to partake in some chicken, carrots, and chit chat. Upon nearing the end of the meal, Rachel inquired as to the status of the relationship, to which Andrew transitioned into nervous-mode, affirmed the past few weeks of intentionally pursuing Rachel, and asked her to officially be his girlfriend… and she said yes! Throughout the summer months, Andrew and Rachel navigated the tricky and treacherous trials of long distance since Rachel went to Sky Ranch’s Oklahoma location for the summer and Andrew stayed in Colorado:( Although long distance was hard, daily Marco Polos, weekly Facetimes, and a trip to Georgia to attend a wedding together made things doable. Another major event for Andrew and Rachel occurred on the aforementioned trip to the Peach State. The couple had been thinking through “bigger deal things” that they felt were important in seeing eye-to-eye with a potential spouse. This conversation, much to the delight of both Andrew and Rachel, went swimmingly. In August of 2023, Rachel made it back to two of her favorite things: the mountains and Andrew. For 7 short days, Andrew and Rachel enjoyed time together in the sentimental, scenic, and serendipitous place they first met. Then, it was time to pack up and move to the great state of Texas. In Andrew and Rachel’s first full day in Texas, a few minutes before eating dinner with Andrew’s parents, Andrew told Rachel that he knew she was the one he wanted to marry. Rachel then had to contemplate this fact while making small talk with Andrew’s parents for an hour. After dinner, Rachel told Andrew that she loved him, to which he replied “I love you too,” and then told him that she also knew he was the one she wanted to marry. The couple was overjoyed, knowing they were getting married. That dream became even more real on Rachel’s birthday, October 22nd, when Andrew got down on one knee and asked for Rachel to marry him and become Rachel Hood. Rachel-soon-to-be-Hood joyously said yes, and the happy couple is now only a few days away from that dream becoming reality! Andrew and Rachel know that marriage will be hard. But they also know that it will be rewarding, fun, and sanctifying. The end.