Our initial meeting is a bit of a mystery to pin down. Back in 2016, we both found ourselves at the same college. Though with a few years between us, our paths rarely crossed, except for a handful of shared moments in the same campus ministry and through a few mutual friends. We barely knew each other, and with Natalie preparing to graduate and leave Kirksville that spring, there seemed to be little reason to change that. Little did we know, however, that God was meticulously setting the pieces in place for us to gradually come into each other's orbits over the coming years. A spring break trip near Natalie’s home in Tennessee, growing relationships with friends that connected us both, and a job offer that brought Natalie back to the campus ministry in Missouri we both loved. Individually, these moments may seem random, but looking back, it becomes clear how God’s hand gently steered us toward one another. Fast forward to 2022, some of those mutual friends we shared are preparing for their own wedding and we find ourselves in each other’s orbit once again. As we encounter each other in group settings, the transition from strangers to acquaintances to perhaps something resembling friends begins to unfold. At the wedding of those same friends, we find ourselves gravitating towards each other, spending more time together than with many of our other friends. Something that did not go unnoticed by our more perceptive friends. It was fun, but with one of us living in Kansas City and one living in Kirksville, there were no real expectations or even ideas of it being anything more. Little did we know that night was a pivotal step towards where we are today. In the weeks following the wedding, we start texting each other, which then moves to phone calls, and eventually, we find ourselves walking around the River Market in Kansas City, chatting, eating ice cream, and accidentally getting cornered by a deranged man in the Steamboat Arabia museum who insists the government's out to get him. Conspiracy theories aside, that day was great and we concluded the afternoon by admitting that we both had feelings for each other, retroactively turning that day into our first date. Over the next two years, we worked hard to make long distance work. Everyday exchanging audio messages so we could hear each other’s voices instead of text messages. Calling in the evenings as I commuted back from work. Spending countless weekends traveling between Kirksville and Kansas City. While it was a genuinely wonderful time, we both must admit it came with its fair share of hurdles. We knew we wanted to build a future together, but we needed to bridge the gap of long distance before we could take our next steps. After many tough conversations and hard decisions, I moved to Kirksville in the summer of 2024. The transition from a long distance relationship brought its own learning experiences, but when the drive between our apartments shrank to a mere four minutes instead of three hours, it opened up so much time and space for us to explore what we truly envisioned for our life together. On December 13th I proposed to Natalie after a dinner with those same friends whose wedding sparked the beginning of our relationship. It took a few tries to get the proposal plans together, as Nat had been recovering from a head injury that winter, but on that cold night in Kirksville Natalie said yes when I asked her to marry me and we are so excited to start building our lives together. We are immensely grateful for the ways that God orchestrated every detail so that we could be together, and we recognize that the love we share is a beautiful reflection of the love He has shown us. We are thrilled for you all to join us in celebrating our wedding day, but what truly fills our hearts is the life that awaits us beyond this moment. Thank you for the roles you have played, are playing, and will play in our story. We can't wait to celebrate this special day with each of you!