Our story began with teenage excitement, anxious movement, and laughter all around. The setting happened to be our local Cookout, on a random October 2nd, in 2017. We were out with friends and happened to catch each other's eyes, it may have been a fleeting moment, but Jacob would swear it would stay with him forever. We spent time together as friends, but life took each other into different routes. As time moved along, we never lost sight of the other. Our friendship grew dearly once in Boone, NC. We were inseparable, spending time in church, community, deep conversations, the most vulnerable of states… We became each other's safe place. The good Lord continued to pull us apart, knowing we needed to grow. He called Mallory to the mission field in 2022 and she willingly followed. It was a trip that reshaped her heart into the very image of Christ and Jacob continued his life in Boone. As we reconnected in 2023, through years and years of precious memories and growth, the good Lord graciously brought our hearts together. This time… forever. The past year and a half has been filled with excitement, gentle movement, and again, laughter all around. We are so very excited to share the beginning of this new chapter of our lives with you, those that have witnessed, our story.

Mallory and I were engaged on April 28th, on her family’s dock, in the small hours before dusk. The day began like any other Sunday, Mallory and I spending a morning drive together to church, sharing quiet moments in between conversation. As we worshiped and conversed with our community, the thoughts I had were of the sweet life that we were building through the aid of God's sovereign love. These moments brought so much peace to the nerves slowly building up. As we continued our day with lunch, farmers markets, ice cream, and food trucks, Mallory’s loving family were prepping the back porch and pond; their help was so essential in keeping the proposal a complete surprise for her! We finally made our way to Mallory’s home and the nerves began to rise again. We decided to take a stroll down to her family’s pond as we always do but this time, I asked Mallory to start without me. As she walked away, I quickly placed the ring in my pocket and joined her. The conversation, the movement of my legs, the air blowing through the breeze were irrelevant because I was about to ask my best friend to make the biggest decision of her life; to marry me. We made it to the dock of the pond where two pearls were sitting; Mallory inspected the pearls while our families began to make their way towards us. As she looked up in shock, I got on one knee and asked her to marry me. She said yes! We celebrated with family and captured the moment. We made our way towards the back porch and continued the celebration with a special foot washing ceremony that her family had helped set up. We took a moment to honor God and begin this next step with love and humility, promising to always honor, care, and serve each other. The day that began like any other Sunday, became a day that we will never forget!