We're Getting Married!

The easy way to say how Joshua and I met would be to say that his Dad accepted the Senior Pastor position at the church my family attended and where my Mom also works. The rest is history. However, our story didn't really begin until Joshua had the courage to introduce himself to me one night at youth group. I was conversing with a friend, patiently waiting for youth group to begin, when I felt a tap on my shoulder. I ignored it, and continued on in my conversation. But again, I felt a tap on my shoulder. This time I turned around and there was Joshua. He introduced himself, I introduced myself, and I turned back around. That was the extent of our conversation. Over the course of the next year, Joshua and I became good friends. We continued our friendship for the next few years, as we went off to different colleges, but reconnected chaperoning a youth event on New Year's Eve 2016. I always joke that Joshua intentionally hurt himself on the trampoline that day just so he could talk to me (who was currently nursing an ankle sprain). He had asked me to hang out over his winter break, but I was a little unsure. Thinking I had nothing to lose since he was going back to school in Illinois in a few days, I said yes. Although I was intentional to not make it a "date," God had other plans. We ended up having a great day, drinking coffee, ice skating, topped off with an unintentional candlelit dinner and ice cream (non-dairy, of course!). As Joshua headed back to Trinity only a few days later, we continued to grow in our relationship in spite of the distance. Long-distance would become the norm in our relationship once we began "officially" dating a couple of months later. Looking back, we can see all of the ways God intentionally intertwined our stories and we are so excited to begin the story of our lives together.

My day started off with a trip to the Minneapolis Farmers' Market with my sister, where I unknowingly picked out flowers for my own engagement party. Joshua was supposed to pick me up for lunch but would not tell me where we were going. Ciera ended up being the one to drop me off at what turned out to be Urban Eatery on Lake Calhoun, where Joshua and I had dinner on our anniversary. After lunch, Joshua asked me on a walk around the Lake, which I had wanted to do on our anniversary but it was too cold! We started walking and after about a 1/3 mile, Joshua asked me to go down this dirt path toward the lake. The path opened up to a little sand bar right on the lake. That was the moment I knew what was happening. Joshua gave me a huge hug and asked me if I wanted to get married. I shook my head yes and then he got down on one and asked me to marry him. Of course I said, YES!