I met Daniel for the first time in April of 2019 at the end of our freshman year - the memory is clouded by the stress of finals, but still unforgettable to me nonetheless. I remember thinking he had the best smile! The next time I encountered Daniel was at the Baptist Campus Ministry beach retreat on Saturday, September 21, 2019. I was enchanted by his sense of humor and our shared experience as Chick-fil-A employees. Daniel has always been able to make me laugh like no one else! We became good friends over the next year and I always loved spending time with him. After Covid threw a wrench in our relationship, and we lost contact, I was able to reconnect with Dan at a BCM shrimp boil in August of 2020. We talked for five hours! We began talking every day and I enjoyed our many homework nights, grocery runs, walks at the park, and cooking together. Time with Daniel has always been a joy and I admired the way Daniel consistently pointed me to Christ, even in friendship. At the end of August, after deciding together to take time to think and pray for the Lord's guidance over our future together, Daniel asked me on our first date! During our date, we shared our testimonies with each other and I was blown away by our mutual love of ice cream and The Lord. On our second date, I set the house on fire (just ask Dan - the fire department came with lights and sirens). But despite the fire, at the end of the night, Dan asked me on another date and we decided to begin praying about our future together. We asked the Lord to make his plan for our futures clear - whether that be together or apart. After much prayer and a series of trials and joys that brought us closer together, we decided that our desire was - and still is - for us to spend the rest of our lives glorifying God together. On June 24, 2021, Daniel asked me to marry him. And I, of course, said yes! We are so excited for you to witness our marriage and be with us as we begin this new chapter of life together!

The first time I remember really meeting Eleanor was at the BCM beach trip in 2019. During this trip we first met and talked about our shared interests and experiences. We talked about how we had both worked at Chick-fil-a and all of the crazy experiences associated with that. We would see each other some and talk, but it wasn't until August of 2020 that we reconnected. The first night back in Auburn, we were at the BCM and talked for hours about stories, shared interests, and anything we could think of. That sparked a deeper excitement for getting to know each other. At the beach trip I had thought of her as cute and fun but we didn't fully know each other. But after the time we spent together talking, my desire to get to know her and attraction to her grew so much more. Shortly after, I went to Eleanor's apartment when I wasn't feeling well and I remember how much comfort and wisdom she brought in that situation and how she had such a genuine care for both people and for the Lord. That only furthered how attracted to her I was. We began to hang out more and do things like shopping together but since I had never been in a relationship I didn't realize that she was interested in me. As we began to do more things together I decided that I couldn't just be interested in her romantically since it would be disingenuous to her as a friend so I began to approach us as just being friends and caring for her in that way. At the time, I didn't pick up on the signals that she too was interested in me until she decided that it was best for us to talk about our relationship and how we needed to set boundaries if I didn't feel the same way. I decided to take time to think and pray about the future of our relationship. After this, we began dating and learning more about each other. It has been such an amazing and exciting adventure that we have embarked on together. Over this past summer we got engaged and are now preparing for our lives together. I love you Eleanor!