It all started in a little family owned restaurant that our beach people know as “Ohana”. Evan and his Providence friends used to stop in for lunch, or after a long day on the boat. Isaac, one of Evans’s friends, and Emma both worked there. This was the first time Evan laid eyes on his future bride. To this day, Evan remembers the uniform she was wearing. Fast forward a couple of months later, July 4th, 2016, Evan decided to invite a “few” friends over to his house to celebrate. Emma was invited through mutual friends to what was supposed to be a “small gathering”. As she walked through the door, she was quickly embraced with a hug and lifted off the floor by a stranger. Little did she know, that stranger was Evan. They spent the day in typical Jacksonville Beach fashion, riding bikes on First Street and watching the fireworks! After the holiday was over, Evan worked up the courage to get Emma’s phone number from a mutual friend. This ultimately led to their first date which was paddle boarding in the Intracoastal waterway and a shared Hawaiian pizza from Mellow Mushroom. Many beach trips and late night conversations led to the best summer of their lives! Unfortunately, the summer ended, and they were both back off to college. The long distance relationship began. Emma would travel to Tallahassee in the Fall while Evan was in season working with the FSU football team and Evan would travel to Macon in the Spring to attend Emma’s softball games. They were distanced for two years prior to Emma’s graduation. At this point, she took her gap year in Tallahassee with Evan before her acceptance to PT school. It was also at this time, Emma decided to purchase her fur baby, Nelly. Emma and Evan spent the year together at many football games, concerts, fun times with friends, and having the adventures of raising Nelly, an English bulldog puppy. This was also the year that Emma went on her first ski trip with the Kinsey family. It would be one of the first of many family vacations. In May, 2019, Emma got her acceptance to attend Florida Southern College. Once again, the long distance relationship resumed. They made the distance relationship work by traveling between Tallahassee and Lakeland for another two years, until Emma graduated in December, 2021. She began her new career in Jacksonville for six months, until Evan accepted a job with the Miami Hurricanes. They spent one year together in Miami, finally ending the long distance relationship forever! Living in Miami included quite a culture shock, a variety of good eats, quick trips to the Keys and lots of time in the sun, and TRAFFIC. After this one year, Evan made the decision to change careers and they moved back home to Jacksonville. This new chapter of their lives began three days after moving home, when Evan dropped to a knee on Oleander Street, July 2, 2023. Check out the video above to see how the engagement went down! 6+ years later Emma and Evan continue to share a love for Jesus, traveling, being major foodies and always in each other’s company!