We're getting married!

We met one evening before a Cru meeting was about to start at ETSU; Joseph was on the worship team, I was just one of many standing in the crowd. A year after we met, Joseph told me all he saw was the back of my head on that first night. He did not see my face, but he knew I was special and that I was the person he had been waiting for. He tells me, "I fell in love with your hair before I even saw your face." This is the beginning of our love story and how we found the other half of our hearts. We were friends from January through March and our interactions were the standard hello and how are you today. On March 24, 2022, Joseph reached out to ask if I would like to join him in getting some bubble tea from "Kings Corner," a small restaurant on campus. This was the start of a couple of hour-long hangouts, study sessions, and lunches each week that soon became more and more frequent the more we got to know one another. In April I realized that Joseph liked me more than just as a friend. Sadly, right before my birthday at the end of April I told Joseph I was not ready to be in a relationship, but I wanted to stay friends. Summer started and we kept in touch the entire time. Our friendship strengthened and we talked about everything under the sun. By June I realized that I could not be afraid of starting a relationship and that I was wanting to be with him too. I texted Joseph June 6, 2022 and said, "Joseph if you still want to, I think I'm ready to be in a relationship." He immediately said, "Anna Ruth, will you be my girlfriend?" I was so happy, and Joseph and I were officially boyfriend and girlfriend. I met the man who makes me feel happy and safe each day and I feel like a Queen when he is around and even when he is not around. Joseph is my Prince charming, and he is taking me to my happily ever after. I am blessed and I praise and thank God every day that he allowed Joseph and I to run into each other on a random Cru Day in the beginning of January in 2022. True Love does exist, and I know that if you trust God, he will show you in a way you least expect it. Joseph and I are excited to say "I Do" on May 24, 2025, in front of our friends, family, loved ones, and God and become a family. I am blessed to say I know Joseph and I will have a wonderful life together and with hard work we will be able to take on the world. His determination to complete a Bachelors, then go to Grad school, and finish an additional 6 plus years to get a PhD is astounding, and I am blessed to have such a hardworking and determined man as my soon to be husband. This is just the beginning of our story; with love, family, friends, and God, we will live our lives to the fullest.