The adventure begins!

...when “the cute guy with the afro” (Bradley) from Corban University invited a beautiful young piano teacher (Carly) to go bouldering at the local rock climbing gym. They had both noticed each other from afar, and were both looking for an opportunity to talk to each other. He was patient, putting up with her incessant “I’m sorry”s and treated her to ice cream afterwards. She listened to his climbing tips, and as he found out later, hoped to spend more time together sometime. A few days later, he asked if she’d like to get coffee with him. They talked for over 5 hours, and both of them were startled by how naturally the conversation flowed: from music to books to ministry to teaching to who-knows-what-else; she was distracted by the handsome guy who so clearly loved the Lord in front of her while he was enamored with her kind and attractive nature. Coffee turned into dinner at 10:30pm, when they realized neither of them had eaten. He took her a block over, where they both ordered falafel. (After walking her back to her car, he turned around and promptly walked into a tree. It’s still her favorite tree on Chemeketa Street.) A few weeks later on February 27, on a snowy day over waffles, Bradley asked Carly to be his girlfriend. A few weeks after (unbeknownst to him), she knew she wanted to marry him, and it wasn’t long before he knew the same. The year following was full of adventures, including more bouldering, kombucha and soda-making, reading, road trips to visit family, youth ministry, making meals, and lots of grace, forgiveness, and learning. And on November 13, 2019, Bradley gave her a “Adventure Book,” got down on one knee, and she said “YES!” before he could even finish proposing. They are so thankful for the friends and family who have supported and prayed for them, and for the immense joy, grace, and redemption their Creator has given them through this relationship. They are SO excited for the years to come! June 20, 2020 can’t come fast enough!