Michael and I met within a mutual friend group (including my sister) that was a part of a college ministry I was attending. I had heard of him from my sister knowing him for a year before I came to school. My senior year there were many unknowns especially with COVID, one big one being where I wanted to go to college. Oddly enough and unexpectedly I chose Fort Hays. I went and quickly became close friends with a lot of people, including Kayleah’s friend group. All of us doing homework together, Saturday night dinners, isolating bc we got covid, going long boarding, etc. I quickly realized around October of 2020 that I really liked him. He realized the same but wasn’t sure if he was ready to commit to a relationship and pursue me well. We continued to be close friends, he was easy to talk to, easy to laugh with, and most of all easy to share in faith with! We stayed here for the rest of the fall semester, and all of spring semester. He sought council from many men in his life about where he needed to be and how he wanted to pursue me. I was increasingly becoming frustrated and annoyed he wouldn’t ask me out, knowing that we both had feelings. May of 2021 the school year ended and I went back to Colorado for a few weeks before moving in to an off campus house back in hays. While I was home I vented with my sisters and close friends and decided that after going back to move in on June 1st he would have 1 week to ask me out, then I was moving on. He came and helped my family move us in and on June 7th on my front porch he asked me to go on a date with him and on June 11th we did! The 14th of June we officially started dating. We spent the summer both in hays and enjoyed our relationship of continuing to deepen our friendship and figure out what it meant to love each other well and serve selflessly. We truly have continued to learn what ila Godly love looks like and how to live on our knees together. We had many hard talks and late nights but also so so many hours of laughter, lake trips, drive in movies, and many monthaversary date nights on the 14th of each month. On November 14th 2022 we had another one! He brought me flowers wrote me a letter, like usual, and we went out to dinner where we went on our very first date. We left the restaurant and came back to my place to paint. We walked up to the front door and there on the same porch, as it was just flurrying, he got down on one knee and asked me to marry him! Yes! 1000x yes was the answer that followed with tears and an excess of kisses. Kayleah and one of my close friends kathryn were there to take pictures and celebrate as we called family and friends! We have loved our journey so far and can’t wait to see what God does with the rest of it! We are so excited to take another step forward together on July 29th 2023 and hope you will be there to celebrate with us!