I met Jacob my very first day of college. He was tabling for a local church and I was on the hunt for some free food. Throughout the rest of my undergraduate years, we ran into each other at basketball games, Chick-fil-A, and in his kitchen while I was hanging out with other people. I used to tell my friends to date him because he was so cute!! My last encounter I remember with Jacob was while I was working as a ref at an intramural basketball game. He came up to me and said, “Heard you don’t do your dishes!” He worked with one of my roommates who told him that. I in fact did not do my dishes but I found it very rude!! 3 years later after I moved to Florida to get my masters degree and moved back to georgia completing clinicals, I saw Jacob again. He was staring at me while I walked into the gym! I immediately knew this man who knew I was terrible at doing dishes was going to come talk to me. He awkwardly started walking on the treadmill next to me and pretended he was completing some cardio. One fantastic conversation later discussing the past 3 years, I get a dm asking me on a date. I made him wait 2 days and agreed to go out. On our first date, I walked into the date expecting a good time but I had no clue I was getting a pumpkin ale and playing shrek trivia at the local brewery with my future husband. Leaving the first date, I knew I wanted to see him again. And as soon as possible. He quickly asked me to be his girlfriend. The next year we were inseparable and we had so much fun. We worked out A LOT!! We went to a Keith urban concert and danced the whole night. We enjoyed many road trips to visit friends. We fell in love over many dinners, nights watching daisy jones and the six, and reading our Bibles together. After a year, he proposed and I said yes of course!! God has given me more than I could ever ask for. Jacob is the best man I’ve ever met and throughout our entire relationship he has pushed me closer to Christ. I am so honored to marry him and spend the rest of my life striving to be the woman he deserves.

The first time Penny and I saw each other, I was tabling on campus at UNG for a student ministry I was involved in. Our interaction was brief, but one thing I knew is the girl I met was something special — and extremely beautiful. Throughout the rest of our time at UNG, we ran into each other on multiple occasions: either at the gym, intramurals, or the Chick-fil-A drive thru where I worked. I always remember seeing her name, “Penny N” on her mobile orders, and took it as an opportunity to see her and serve her the food she’d ordered. Our interactions remained brief, but always pleasant. Years passed, I graduated college (eventually), and I began working as a Firefighter. I lived in Gainesville post-grad and worked out at OneLife Fitness in Dawsonville. One day while working out, a friend of mine approached me and told me of a beautiful girl he’d seen the past few times he’d been at the gym. He discreetly pointed upstairs to the treadmills, where I looked up and saw a familiar, friendly face — Penny. Somehow she looked even more gorgeous than she did in college. I finished my workout and made it a point to spark up conversation with her before I left that day. I began walking on the treadmill next to her, tapped her shoulder, and was greeted by a beautiful smile. We caught up on our last few years, shared a few memories of college, and went on our way. I left the gym excited and was hopeful for an opportunity to speak again, so I did what any smitten man does: send an Instagram DM, and wait for a response. Excitement grew to impatience, as days passed. I was ghosted — or so I thought. Finally, after what felt like the longest two days of my life, she responded. I got her phone number, and asked her on a date, to which she (eventually) obliged. We met at a spot in downtown Gainesville, spent a few hours talking, and the rest was history. From the first night, we were inseparable. Dates became days, and I wanted to spend as many as I could with Penny. Our first year of dating flew by, and after just over a year of dating, I made one of the best decisions of my life — I proposed. Our story is not one of good luck and coincidences. It’s a story of God’s faithfulness and sovereignty on display, and I’m so grateful looking back at how God went about giving me the Proverbs 31 woman I get to marry. Now I look forward to a day I’ll never forget, where I make Penny Naftel my wife and spend the rest of my life loving her.