I met Riley my first year at Berea College. I met him through a group of mutual friends. I remember thinking I enjoyed hanging out with him, but I made it clear I was not ready for a relationship. We always had similar hobbies. I remember we first began hanging out by helping each other study for our classes, and hiking together quickly became a frequent past time. After about a year of friendship I began to think there was something more than just friends. After consulting with friends I finally worked up the courage to ask Riley to get coffee with me on a Sunday afternoon. By the end of our coffee visit we planned our first date that weekend, a picnic to Lake Reba. I was beyond excited. We spent the night laughing and being awkward. I remember thinking, I feel so comfortable, and he makes this so fun. I have prayed for someone like Riley, he makes little sacrifices for me all the time. He has such a big heart. My love for him has grown since the picnic. I am so excited to walk this life with a man so wonderful as Riley.

When I first met Katie she was sitting with a group of friends in dining. This was of course the first of many chance encounters as had plenty of friends in common. As we began to run into each other more and more often I began to notice how easy she was to get along with and enjoyed hanging out with her. We ended up becoming friends and spending time together, doing homework together or hiking mostly, for over a year and I discovered more and more the kind of person Katie is. As we got to know each other more and spent more time together it became obvious that I was interested in her as more than just a friend. We went to get coffee together one day and ended up, very awkwardly, confessing our feelings for one another. We still reminisce on all the funny moments from that day and how happy we both were to schedule our first date at Lake Reba. The awkwardness only continued there, but we laughed and enjoyed it all. Ever since that day I learned how lucky I was to have met her and especially to be marrying someone who makes me feel so loved and in love. It was always an adventure full of laughter and I'm looking forward to what's to come.