On an exceptionally busy travel day at Denver International Airport, Annie Gatlin decided to brave the forever long Starbucks line to order her typical chai. Waiting in the same line was handsome pilot Josh Hammond, seeking some caffeine to fuel his full work day ahead. As Annie went to grab her chai and balance it with what was probably way too much stuff for such a short trip, she dropped and spilled the chai all over the surrounding area. Josh, having watched the entire ordeal, jumped into action to help Annie clean up the mess and then insisted on buying her another chai to replace the lost one. While waiting in the line once again, Josh took the opportunity to learn more about the beautiful girl before his eyes. He quickly noticed Annie's soft, kind, and loving heart, and he knew he didn't want this girl to just walk away after buying her a new drink. As the barista called Annie's name, Josh took the opportunity to get it for her and simultaneously write his number on her cup. Josh walked away praying she would text or call him so he could know her more deeply... and what can Josh say other than, it worked?! A little over a year later, here we are - a result of Josh's smooth moves and game, a gift from the Lord Himself ;) Please forgive us, but what if we told you we just made up almost every part of that story? Are we still friends?! And family still family? Here's the real story, people :)

Our Jesus writes the best stories. And often those stories take much longer and involve much more reckless trust than what’s comfortable. But it’s in the tug, the difficulty, the waiting, and the expectation that He so profoundly shows Himself. Technically, it all began on a silly dating app that neither of us wanted to be on. For the longest time, we both pretty strongly opposed the idea - in fact, Annie swore she would never meet her husband that way... so we guess Jesus has got jokes :) But even in this unexpected beginning, His hand was over every detail. On the first date, bowling 2 games hilariously took 3 to 4 hours (not to mention we got booted to a side lane to make room for a bowling league) because the conversation was just that genuine, rich, and fun, all of which continued for another several hours over dinner. Little did we know that this dinner spot would become a sweet reminder from the Lord, as it's a place we now pass every time we make the drive to see one another. Anyway, back to the date... in all the hours we were together that day, we laughed, shared bits of our who we are in vulnerable conversation, and Josh made sure to give Annie a sample of his sarcastic side. Neither of us wanted the date to end; it felt as if we'd known each other for years, though it had only been a few hours - truly a date directed by our Jesus. As Annie drove away, she texted her best friends and mom that it was the best first date she’d ever been on. She also hinted at this to Josh, to which he thought, “Dang girl, you bold” ;) Little did he know just how unlike Annie it was to be this forward, but it was a result of the ease and joy she had from even their initial interactions. Amongst many other things, Annie immediately noticed Josh’s authenticity, goofiness, depth, and tender heart. From the beginning, he made it easy for her to be her most genuine self around him - silly, deep, and all the things in between. But by far the most beautiful, rare thing for Annie to see in Josh was the evidence that even amidst walking through difficult seasons, his faith remained both tested and true. She would begin to learn that he had an incredibly soft heart towards the Lord and a soft heart towards people. Josh began pursuing Annie, but boy did he keep her on her toes with his hilarious, adventurous, jokester self… a good match for Annie’s bubbly, joyful, strong-willed, girl-of-all brothers self. Through his pursuit, Josh began to see and cherish Annie's heart of gold, most of all towards the Lord. The way in which she selflessly, deeply, and genuinely loves the people around her became more and more evident, after which Josh began to experience this love for himself. As time went on, the Lord spoke over Josh that Annie’s love for him was not only an answered prayer, but even more so a direct embodiment of the Father’s love for him. Step by step, He continued to open both our hearts to one another and made it clear that this was exactly what we had been waiting and praying for. Not one moment of the years of praying, believing, contending, longing, and hoping was lost on Him. He heard every cry and has shown us so much of Himself in the process. He is the only One we would’ve entrusted to author our story and we also wouldn’t be here without all of you, who have stood in the gap with us all these years. We know we’re truly surrounded by the best people in the world and we can’t wait to celebrate with you all in October! :)