Jonty's Perspective: It all started when Gillian saw the tall, handsome, blonde, incredibly shredded man at the gym... who she walked past to say hi to her good pal Jonty. Jonty was thrilled! Jonty and Gillian were good friends. Jonty will stop typing this in the third person now. I met Gillian my senior year at college! We quickly hit it off with a group of friends that we had on the dorm I was the RA over. We both loved rock climbing, joking around, Jesus, science, asking questions, swing dancing, and many other things - all but each other (you know what I mean)! And not for 4 more great years of friendship. Over those four years, we stayed up late together with our friend group (like, late late), met up monthly for breakfast to catch up when we got too busy, went rock climbing (surprise), and commiserated over our trials and sufferings when we had them (a little more frequently than we liked). Throughout that time, I often got the thought of *maaaaaaaybe we could date?* but would quickly decide that, no, you can't do that to the friend group. So, it continued on! Right until the 2nd year of my Masters degree, where my crush on her had slowly, and then very very quickly grown! My friends can attest that when I saw her I did in fact have to turn my burning face away. She was oblivious to this fact. And she remained oblivious right up until I texted her the following: Jonty - "Hey, are you on campus rn?" Gillian - "Yes! But not for long! You ok??" Jonty - *asks her to coffee* Gillian - *ghosts him* But only for 24 hours! And then she said yes :0. And on that coffee (really, tea) date, despite all the stress of exams, my job, and looking down the barrel of the end of my time at college - I found myself truly relaxed, watching the time slip by as we laughed and enjoyed each other's company. And then came the second date (watched a lightning storm), and the third date (crashed a hang gliding spot), and the fourth (less cool), fifth, and all the way up until she became my girlfriend! And then I did something really crazy and moved out to the same town she lived in, in Idaho. And while I made that decision after only one week of thinking about it, I can truly say it was the best decision I've ever made. It has led to a friendship becoming deeper than I ever thought it could, a love that has shown me Christ's in more ways than one, and a wife that I will cherish for the rest of my life. So, all glory be to God, for this is a story I could never have written, and I cannot wait to keep on turning the pages as I watch what He will do! Gillian’s Perspective: Don’t listen to the tall, handsome, blonde, charming, incredibly shredded man – that’s Jonty himself. But I can confirm one thing. He is my good pal, and so much more! I helped steal Jonty’s phone one time with a fellow miscreant (hi, Bryn!), and that launched the start of our friend group. During that time, I learned to trust Jonty’s insight, wisdom and deep thinking more than anyone else’s. I got to see his heart and intelligence up close, as well as his passion for Christ. I did often wonder if there was something between us (aided by our friends setting us up). Lo and behold, to my surprise, there was! (I did ghost him repeatedly. Sorry, my love!) Over the next few wild months, I remember thinking over and over - this could be it. This could be the guy. And he is :) We’ve had a crazy year since our move - work, stress, church, friends, family, travel, and everything that goes into building a life together. But one thing is for sure: there is no one I trust more, no one I would rather spend forever with, and no one who can make me laugh as hard as Jonty. He is my best friend, the man who sweeps me off my feet (literally), and the sweetest, strongest man I know. Praise God for all the myriad of things that brought us together! I can’t wait to watch our story unfold under the hands of the Great Author – and I can’t wait to read those pages alongside my husband. <3