It all started over a cup of coffee, actually quite a few cups of coffee. I was working at Kitt’s as a barista at the time, where I’d have a lot of regulars come in. Emma was one that came in quite a bit during my evening shifts. I was always able to get to know people pretty well if they were open to having conversations. She’d always come in and get the same thing. A Canella Con Acero latte, and was always shocked when I’d have her drink waiting for her at the register before she even ordered. She’s so predictable ;). She’d sit at the bar and talk to my coworker and me as we’d close up for the evenings. Always staying super late reading books, chatting, or hanging out with her best friend Molly. The thing that always attracted me to her when she’d come in was her ability to talk about anything and everything. We could talk about her schooling, her job, Jesus, tattoos, and piercings, or the thing she loves talking about more than anything (other than Jesus) is her family. She’s so thankful for the parents who raised her, her little sister Liv who is so musically gifted and talented, and she always tells people how proud she is of her sister Reagan who plays soccer at UNL. Besides being attracted to her ability to hold conversations, half the time I struggled focusing on the words that came out of her mouth. Her beautiful blue eyes were just completely breathtaking, and her sense of humor was just so comical. She didn’t hate the fact that I had a mustache that curled almost all the way to my eyebrows (not kidding). Finally, she loved Jesus which was my favorite part about her. As a person of faith, I was scared to dive into a relationship that wasn’t Christ-focused.

After a few months of her coming into the shop regularly, I decided to ask her out on a date. However, when my moment came I got scared and backed out. I’d made her one of the most beautiful teddy bears I’d ever done for latte art in her latte, and failed to ask her out on the spot. So I slid into her DM’s on Instagram later that day, cleverly asked for her number, and that was kind of it. We went on our first date a few days later at an outdoor park outside of Kearney. We went for a walk with my dog Molly Moo and talked about Jesus and life. The date was only supposed to last the duration of our trip to the park and when I dropped her back off at her apartment... but it ended up turning into dinner, a movie, and our first kiss all on the same day. I always told Em if I could get a girl to fall in love with me with the most ridiculous mustache that I had going, I’d marry her. Fast forward a year and a half later of serving Jesus at C20, leading a life group for college students, and hundreds of coffee dates to different coffee shops (mostly to Kitt’s); I knew she was the one I wanted to spend the rest of my life with. On April 17, 2021, surrounded by close friends and family, I proposed at the place we first met, Kitts. This is where our journey started, I found Jesus, and Kitt’s is where I met some of the most important people in my life. Thankfully she said yes, and then I moved an hour away a few weeks later to continue to do ministry full-time. Emma and I are so excited to be able to share the love of Jesus with all who we come in contact with.