God gave me you

On a hot summer day, Claire went with her friends to Whiskey Jam, a weekly writers round for local artists, to watch one of her girlfriends play the round. Sitting up on the rooftop of Winners in midtown, a young man with long hair, boots, and a hat offered to buy her a drink. He walked her over to the bar, but... he was too cheap, so he put it on his buddy Matthew's tab. They all hung out for a while that night, talking about God and church over some drinks. Claire invited Matthew and his friend to come out to Hayshed Farms the next evening for another writers round, thinking she would never hear from or see these guys again. But she did. That evening at Hayshed Farms, Matthew and his friend came out and met a bunch of Claire's friends and they all hit it off, so Claire invited them to keep hanging out with them. Over the next few weeks, Matthew and Claire became friends and began to grow closer. It was not until the fall that Matthew and Claire began to spend more time together and get to know one another more intentionally. Following the holiday season, both Claire and Matthew knew they wanted to commit to the relationship and pursue marriage, but they had a few things they wanted to do first. In February of 2022, Matthew's parents (Debra and Marlowe) with his younger brother David and Claire's parents (Susan and Richard) all traveled to Nashville. This was the first time Claire was able to meet his parents, and it was such a blessing that the parents were able to meet each other as well. This was the final piece. Meeting the family and spending time all together helped both Matthew and Claire realize that they did in fact want to get married and it removed any possibility of doubt. Over the last year, Claire and Matthew realized that although it may not have been love at first sight, the love they now have for each other is a gift from the Lord. Now, Claire and Matthew, with their parents, are excited to enter into this covenant of marriage and expectant for all the Lord will do in their lives. So get ready to celebrate!!!