We met online in the middle of the pandemic. After a 3 hour long first phone call playing video games online and talking about 1600s British Literature, both of us knew we had found something special. We spent a couple weeks getting to know each other virtually before our schedules matched up and we finally got to meet in person. Our first date was 12 hours long, from lunch time until post-dinner ice cream, and Jon-Paul asked Anna to make things official that same day. And the rest is history!

After a handful more weeks in the Atlanta area together, we started our journey of long distance. Anna returned back to Wake Forest and Jon-Paul continued his work in Newnan at CFA Poplar Road. Though long distance hasn’t been easy, the last 2+ years being long distance have given both Anna and Jon-Paul time to grow into the people God made them to be. Both of us would say that the Lord has used this season to make each of us the best versions of ourselves in preparation for marriage. Over the last two years, Anna has moved to Dallas, TX and spent her time as the Associate Director for Middle School Ministry at Highland Park Presbyterian and has started her Masters in Clinical Mental Health Counseling. Jon-Paul has been accepted into the Chick-fil-A Leadership Development Program and has been traveling the country building his leadership and business skills. We could not be prouder of one another for pursuing what God called us to, but now we are so excited for long distance to end and to start our lives officially together!

One of the perks of Jon-Paul being in LDP is that Anna gets to visit lots of cool places to see him! In March, when we were visiting in Los Angeles, Jon-Paul drove us down to Malibu to take a romantic tour of some beaches. Jon-Paul had been on business calls for most of the day, so Anna didn't really know if that had set a proposal vibe for the evening, but was thrilled to just go with the flow and see what happened. At Point Dume in Malibu, Jon-Paul showed Anna around the beautiful park before getting on one knee and asking Anna to marry him. Anna screamed and grabbed Jon-Paul's arm so hard you could see the handprint in the pictures (it's true - go look around our gallery!) and enthusiastically said yes. We had an incredible evening taking pictures and celebrating before joining our parents for a surprise dinner at a restaurant on the Malibu Pier. It couldn't have been a more perfect day!

After our wedding in August, Anna will be joining Jon-Paul full time on the road as he finishes Chick-fil-A's Leadership Development Program. Anna will be going from a part-time to full-time student so she can finish her degree quicker and pursue her dreams of being a Licensed Professional Counselor, and supporting Jon-Paul in anyway she can in the restaurant. Although we don't know where exactly we'll be or what plan God has for us in our first year of marriage (much less after that!) we trust that it will be good and we could not be more excited to go on this adventure together, with the Lord as our foundation!