We’re getting married!

Jay and I met at Fredericksburg Christian School, we started dating in his sophomore and my senior year in high school, though our story began long before we ever realized it. I like to think God was quietly weaving our paths together before we noticed His hand at work. Our first official interaction happened at a pep rally in the school gym. He was in 7th grade, I was in 9th, and we weren’t even sitting together—but I heard him mention he was hungry. If you know me, you know I never miss a chance to share, so I pulled a peanut butter and jelly sandwich out of my lunchbox and gave it to him. And yes—years later, I’m still making him peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. According to Jay, though, our story goes back even further. When I was in 4th grade, I had just moved from Texas to Virginia and kept soda candies in my desk, happily sharing them with friends and never noticing when a few went missing. Years later, Jay realized that during Royal Rangers after school, he would sit at my desk… and steal my candy. Apparently, I’ve been feeding him for longer than I ever knew. Because we were in different grades, our relationship for years consisted of passing moments and seeing each other from across the room. That all changed in 2020, when Jay was a sophomore and I was a senior and we ended up in the same Bible class. We sat next to each other, and those seats quickly became our spots for the year. We also shared a study hall, which meant even more time side by side. Before long, Jay was walking me to all my classes, and I would wait outside his classroom just to steal a few extra minutes between bells. When texting wasn’t enough, we started FaceTiming—and somehow turned “just a quick call” into hours of conversation about anything and everything. Loving him felt effortless, comfortable, and deeply rooted. Jay asked me to be his girlfriend on October 30, 2020, and our first date was at a pumpkin patch—complete with a hayride and pumpkins to paint. We fell in love in the fall, surrounded by crisp air, colorful leaves, and the cozy magic of the season. Because we were in high school during COVID, we couldn’t always be together in person, so we found creative ways to stay close. We FaceTimed while doing homework, while he played video games, and even while watching shows together—pressing play at the same time so it felt like we were sharing the same screen. Distance never felt like distance with him. Jay fills my life with a joy that’s hard to put into words. He’s smart, confident, and effortlessly the life of the party, yet also one of the kindest people I know. He brings out the fun, adventurous, and bold side of me, and with him, life feels brighter, louder, and more alive. On August 22, 2025, Jay asked me to be his forever. That day was especially sacred—it would have been his grandparents’ 55th wedding anniversary. His grandma, who passed away in July of 2025, meant more to me than words can express. I had the honor of caring for her as she lived with Parkinson’s, and loving her was a privilege I will always cherish. Jay proposed with the very ring his grandpa used to propose to her—a symbol of a love that endured through every season of life. Wearing her ring each day feels like carrying her presence with me and a reminder of the kind of marriage we pray to build. Their love story is one we deeply admire and hope to reflect in our own. And so, our story is not only about where we began, but about what we carry forward. From stolen candy to shared snacks to answered prayers and shared dreams, God has been writing our story all along. Every late-night FaceTime, every autumn memory, and every peanut butter and jelly sandwich has led us here, where we promise to love, laugh, and walk in faith together for the rest of our lives.