Annie moved to Washington for work and I had just moved there for graduate school. Annie and I both signed up for a long road trip organized by a church. I was feeling really fortunate that Annie was randomly assigned to me for carpooling! We talked about a lot of things, and bonded over our shared experiences with InterVarsity Christian Fellowship. But after the trip ended, we only bumped into each other infrequently at our favorite coffee shop for the next 2 years. In August 2017, with a new school year and a Solar Eclipse in the Pacific Northwest, I ran into Annie at the coffee shop. When I asked about her summer, I strategically deduced that she was single. I cancelled all other plans and made a date with her! Annie didn't know it was a romantic date (to a comedy show) so she invited a friend to come too, oops! (Add in by Annie: thanks for coming Allison) The second date was clearly more romantic, at a roller derby rink. We've had a lot of great dates since then, and can't wait for many more as husband and wife. -Joe

One evening in Portland, Anna said "There's a cool Christmas tree lighting ceremony at the Tilikum Crossing" (the bridge where Joe and I had first talked about marriage). As we approached (around 7:30pm), I saw no lights, no people, and no Christmas trees. What I did see was a man with an umbrella that turned out to be Joe with soaking wet shoes. It turns out, Joe had been in town since 11am. I was supposed to come to the bridge eight hours earlier, but it proved difficult to get me there while still surprising me. Joe was waiting in the rain of Portland all day! If we learn one thing from this story it is that Joe is committed, even if his shoes are soaked. On our sweet and romantic walk along the bridge, Joe asked me to marry him and I said "of course!!" Anna was across the bridge and after he proposed we all celebrated. They whisked me away to a party of loved ones where we got to celebrate how happily engaged we are. I couldn't be happier, but the best part of all of it, is I get to marry Joe! -Annie