Andrew and I were both on Young Life staff when we met. He was in Johnson City, Tennessee; I was in Stillwater, Oklahoma. Our first encounter was, admittedly, awkward. We were at a training, and we both knew who the other was through mutual friends (and some light social media stalking); however, I didn't know Andrew knew who I was and vice versa. We found ourselves in the same elevator, stumbled through a clumsy conversation, and parted ways--only to realize we never actually introduced ourselves. We call it our Elevator Story and didn't even acknowledge it until we'd been dating a couple months because it is that cringy. Our "real" first encounter happened when we were assigned to the same summer camp and had to attend a training with our team. One evening there was a "casino night" thrown for all the staff at the training, but Andrew and I spent way more time talking to each other than we did playing blackjack. It was pretty clear to me then that this could be something more, but we had to keep it in the friend zone for the time being. So that's just what I did. A few months later, Andrew stepped away from Young Life staff to pursue a Master's degree in counseling over in Nashville. He moved there on a Sunday afternoon in August and decided to call me for the first time. That night we talked for nearly three hours. That became a weekly (sometimes more frequent) activity, and we began to fall for each other. Andrew and I were 700 miles apart but it quickly became clear we were meant to be together. After 10 months of phone dates and weekend adventures and tearful "see you laters," I, too, made the move to Nashville. Twenty minutes of distance is infinitely better than 10 hours (we get to go to Cracker Barrel way more often now). One Saturday night in August, Andrew got down on a knee and proposed that we spend the rest of the our lives together. We are so excited to do just that. Thank you for being a part of it. We can't wait to celebrate with you.