06.01.18 - We met 07.14.18 - Our first date 01.30.19 - We got engaged 08.02.19 - We get married

On Friday night, June 1st 2018, after working a 9 hour shift at the salon, SharaLee went to help a friend from church paint their house. Shortly thereafter, one of her pastors arrived to help. He brought along his younger brother who happened to be visiting from Madison WI. Ethan was on his way up to the Boundary Waters for a rather manly canoeing trip in the wild. He was simply passing through the twin cities and wasn't particularly happy with his brother Dan for dragging him along to paint a house late on a Friday night. However, when he was greeted by a talkative blonde, who handed him a paint brush, his worries quickly faded away. The two of them covered many subjects that night such as, moving overseas, parenting styles, passion for adoption, hearts for ministry, how many kids they wanted, systematic theology, and other very "normal" first conversation topics. The evening flew by quickly as he painted all the high and hard to reach areas while she covered the low places. A perfect team from the start! SharaLee knew she needed to be to work early the next morning, so when the pizza arrived and everyone took a break to eat gluten, to which she was allergic, she said goodbye. She silently hoped the handsome young man she'd just met would ask to see her again, or at least for her phone number. But alas, they parted ways with nothing more than a polite "goodbye". SharaLee drove away, having felt a connection, but internally conflicted because she couldn't tell if he had felt it too. Thank goodness for technology. The moment SharaLee left, Ethan instantly regretted not making a move. Unfortunately, "SharaLee" is not an easy name to spell, and he didn't even know her last name. But he remembered where she worked! His resourceful stalking skills were full throttle. Ethan frantically googled "Cole's Salon" and found SharaLee's picture in the list of hundreds of designers that work there. Now that he knew how to spell her name, finding her on Facebook was a cinch.

SharaLee was elated and relieved when she saw Ethan's friend request. But she never heard anything from him. She was disappointed at this, but didn't want to be presumed flirtatious, so she moved on and didn't think anything of it. Meanwhile, what she didn't realize, there was no cell phone reception in the Boundary Waters where Ethan was. His hands were tied. SharaLee was a bridesmaid in a wedding in July. Hoping to arrive in Michigan by Sunday morning, she planned to drive to Michigan after a 9 hour Saturday shift at the salon. Although, she wasn't sure if she could make it in one straight shot, driving all by herself for 8 1/2 hours. She searched Facebook for "My friends who live in Wisconsin" and guess who was right on her route?! SharaLee didn't want to come across as presumptuous, so she desperately searched for other options. After a few days of trying to avoid messaging Ethan, she finally caved. She sent him a message. "You said you live in Madison, right?" A very excited Ethan opened that message once he returned from the Boundary Waters. He showed his buddies who agreed, "She's totally into you man". Ethan graciously found friends from his church to host her for that night while on her way to Michigan. When SharaLee arrived in Madison, Ethan tried to engage in conversation. But SharaLee would not have it. She had just worked 9 hours, drove 4 hours, and needed to drive 4 1/2 more early the next morning. She was not interested. After the wedding, when SharaLee was driving back to Minneapolis, she drove through Madison again. This time, during the day. She stopped off, dusted off her softball mitt, and played catch with Ethan in a park. They connected seamlessly once more and deep conversation came easily. It felt like they were just old friends. It was that afternoon that SharaLee started to see that there might be something more there afterall!

The two stayed in touch. It wasn't until a conversation where SharaLee shared her excitement about getting the priveledge to share the gospel with a young muslim lady that day that Ethan decided to go for it. He said, "What are you doing this weekend? Can I come visit you?". To which, of course, SharaLee readily agreed! Saturday, July 14th came. Ethan texted SharaLee, admitting to getting a bad haircut at GreatClips that day. She knew she would be completely distracted by it the entire evening, so she told him to come pick her up at her salon. She waited at the front desk, butterflies in her chest. She was way more nervous than she thought she would be, subconsciously wondering if this could be "the one". The moment she saw him through the glass windows, she instantly felt a huge amount of peace come over her. SharaLee fixed Ethan's haircut and they headed off to Afton State Park. They hiked along the St. Croix river. Time flew. They splashed in the river, watched the deer, and chased the sunset. Suddenly, it was dark. Ethan drove SharaLee back to her car still parked at the salon. But he was extremely hungry, so they made a pit stop at Taco Bell. SharaLee watched Ethan eat in the car. After Ethan's appetite was appeased, he got up the courage to express his feelings for her. SharaLee's heart burst with gratitude for Ethan's honesty, for not leaving her wondering, and for leading well. She readily affirmed that she felt the same way about him and wanted to know him more! The next day, SharaLee went to church and out for lunch with Ethan and his family. What a whirlwind of a weekend! Ethan returned to Madison and SharaLee stayed in Minneapolis. This began their long distance relationship.

Communicating over FaceTime and phone calls was challenging, but it also provided a unique sense of depth to the couple's conversations. Many miles were put on Ethan's Camry coming to visit SharaLee in the cities. Over the next six months, they grew to love each other deeply. Their goal from the beginning of their relationship had been that they would be more effective for the gospel together than they could ever be on their own. Eventually, it became apparent that this was true. Marriage became a more and more common topic of conversation. Ethan began scheming and by Wednesday, January 30th, he was ready to ask SharaLee to be with him forever. Typically, she spent Wednesdays (her day off) with a young lady she mentored. However, on January 30th, it was -50 degrees. The coldest day in current Minnesota history. Due to the cold, SharaLee's car refused to start. She let Mari know that she would unfortunately not be able to meet that day. Immediately, her parents, the Johnsons, stepped in and said that they could come pick SharaLee up! Unbeknownst to SharaLee, they were in on the surprise! After the Johnsons left with SharaLee, Ethan arrived at her place. With the help of Eric & Becca Patenaude's girls who she lived with (Eva, Hope, Esther, and Jane) he got everything ready to go. Meanwhile, the Johnsons stalled SharaLee. They got coffee, went to a pet store (for a very long time!) and stopped by chic-fil-a. Finally, they brought her home. SharaLee walked through the front door and was about to head downstairs to her room when she heard music coming from downstairs. She thought maybe the family was watching a movie. Then, she noticed the rose petals and candles lining the steps. The first thing to cross her mind was "Oh no! That's probably Eric and Becca! I need to leave!" She searched her pockets for her keys, but as she turned towards the door, she remembered that her car wouldn't start. She had no choice. She needed to walk down the stairs to get to her room.

Meanwhile, Ethan waited patiently and nervously downstairs. It seemed like hours since she had walked through the door. Was she ever going to come down? Quietly, she unzipped her coat and started down the steps. Suddenly, she tripped over her own feet and began falling down the stairs. Ethan was startled by the noise of the stampede, but smiled because he knew his less than graceful girlfriend was on her way! Thankfully, before she fell on top of one of the candles and lit the place on fire, she regained her composure and made it safely down. SharaLee peeked her head around the corner at the bottom of the stairs, expecting to interrupt someone else's romantic moment. Instead, there stood Ethan, the man she loved very much. The two locked eyes and just soaked in the moment. Could this be real? Ethan extended his hand and drew her towards him. He shared his heart, bent down on one knee, and asked SharaLee to marry him. She excitedly exclaimed, "Yah, let's do this!" Ethan had worked with SharaLee's family jeweler back home in Michigan to design the ring of her dreams. Sparkly, with a "cord of three strands" for a band. The two tried to eat the incredible shrimp candle lit dinner that Ethan had prepared, but adrenaline got the best of them! Instead, they FaceTimed the Attema family back in Michigan and Ethan's parents in Georgia to share the happy news. Both families rejoiced. A little while later, family and friends began to arrive. Ethan had planned a surprise engagement party! He also revealed that he had spoken with SharaLee's manager and they had been filling her books with fake appointments that weekend. They were, in fact, headed to Michigan that weekend to be with family! SharaLee's parents even planned a surprise engagement party where over 50 of her closest family and friends came to celebrate. It was a beautiful time of sharing joy!

And now we're here! Wedding planning is full throttle. The dress has been bought, the venue is booked, and the bridal party is rearing and ready to go. Papa God has been so faithful to us. We still stand in awe of how He brought us together when we least expected it. Nothing but gratefulness fills our hearts when we reflect on the Lord's faithfulness with humility, knowing He heard our prayers over the years. We couldn't be more excited to begin this part of our lives. And we want you to be there for it! Will you come join us and be a part in the next chapter of our love story?