Early August of 2020, I moved into my freshman dorm at Appalachian State University. Knowing no one in Boone, I lived with a random roommate that I met on Facebook. One of the first nights in Boone, my roommate went out to eat with a group of music school friends she had gotten in contact with over the summer - and I asked to join to try and make friends. We walked from our dorm to a restaurant off of Rivers Street and met a group of about 15 people. There was one empty seat next to a guy with a thick country accent, glasses, and dressed head to toe in orange with the loudest socks imaginable to compliment his outfit. He introduced himself as Ethan Gore, and won me over with his kindness, gentleness, and genuine desire to befriend me. I (unfortunately) found out later that night that he had a girlfriend from back home, and I tried my best to snuff out my feelings for him, and to keep my distance. A few weeks later, he told me he was no longer dating his girlfriend from back home and after pretending to act sad for him (teehee), we began to spend more time together and he asked me to be his girlfriend on my birthday - August 31st. At this point in our lives, Ethan and I both knew that there was a God, we believed in Him, went to church, and did all the "good things" - but God was not the Lord of our lives. We were not fully devoting ourselves to Him, and definitely were not seeking Him or putting him in the center of our relationship. After a year of dating, God, out of his grace, opened my eyes and changed my heart to seek His Lordship over my life - including the reality that my boyfriend did not follow Him with his whole being. I ignored this conviction and continued to disobey God and His instruction to break up with Ethan for a year. To say this year Ethan and I had was challenging is an understatement. We were not equally yoked, did not see eye to eye on things, and our priorities were not aligned. Looking back, I see how God was putting it in my face that unless He ordained and was in this relationship, it would not work. I was laboring in vain. The Lord made it obvious at the end of that year, Ethan and I's relationship had to end. I was obedient that time, and broke things off. At that point, I wanted Ethan to know the Father the way I did more than I wanted us to be together. And boy did God deliver. Ethan and I didn't have much contact for another year, and reconnected that August (of 2023). I found out that God, out of his grace, opened Ethan's eyes and changed his heart to seek His Lordship over his life! Thank you Jesus! We still had feelings for each other, and after praying and seeking wise council, we decided to try things again. November 17th of 2024, Ethan asked me to be his wife and to pursue Christ and further His kingdom together. I am so thankful to my God that he not just saved Ethan and gifted him eternal life, but that He returned Ethan to me, and is allowing me to one day soon call him my husband. There is no one else I would want to do this life with. Ethan and I's story is one of grace, mercy, and redemption. The sparkling ring on my finger is a constant reminder of that to me. I thank Jesus every time it catches the sun.

Genesis 2:23- “This at last is bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man.” I met Madelyne August 12, 2020 in Boone’s Cafè Portifinos. She and I ended up sitting next to each other since she came in later than everyone else. All I remember about her then was that she was quiet, very reserved, and seemingly eager to be around the strangers she had never spoken to. I was close friends with her roommate which caused us to spend lots of time together. It went from a large amount of us hanging out, to four of us hanging out, to just the two of us. We would meet for breakfast nearly everyday. She’d sit with me in the parking deck when I would sing for voice class or practice. We’d sit outside of her dorm and… read??? to each other. I’d normally fall asleep while she read. The Lord revealed himself to Madelyne and she was saved early 2022. This started a very, VERY difficult two years. She was trying to dedicate her life to God and I most definitely was not. I was angry and frustrated all of the time and she was trying to show me that God IS better. After those two years Madelyne was challenged by some dear friends of ours. She was confronted with serving the Lord or letting me drag her away from Him. Thankfully, she chose Him. The Lord convicted me and saved me during our time apart. I was confronted with living for Him rather than for someone else. Several months after receiving salvation, I reached out to Madelyne with the overly hopeful intentions of getting back together. We met in the double-decker Wendy’s where she told me VERBATIM “I’ve moved on and you should too.” The employee cleaning sat down her broom and walked away. The following August Madelyne asked to meet after church my first Sunday back in Boone. She informed me that she had, in fact, NOT moved on. We shared this feeling. We sought direction from our mentors and were scared to death to date again. We were terrified our judgement was clouded and that we were not doing what the Lord wanted for us. I know now that He has so graciously blessed me with my future wife. We spent a year, two months, and thirteen days together before I asked her to be my wife. I believe that this is a marriage blessed by the Lord. I trust that, together, we will live to glorify God. I thank Him daily for the woman He placed in my life and I will forever be grateful for my Lovely Lady.