We're getting married.

I first met Jake on a fall break trip to Broken Bow Oklahoma, in line to get dinner. I don’t remember much about our conversation, except that he was an avid Broncos fan (which was bold, considering they’d had a few rough seasons). Despite our football differences, I was excited to have met someone who called the same place “home.” Over the next year, our friendship formed quickly. Anyone who knows Jake knows it’s hard not to want to be friends with someone as intentional, funny, and steady as he is. While he became one of my closest friends, he was also someone I deeply looked up to, especially in his faith. About a year later, my YoungLife team needed more guy leaders, and it felt obvious to ask Jake to join. After plenty of convincing, he finally said yes. The biggest win was definitely for the high school boys he’d get to lead- but what I didn’t know at the time was how much of a win it was for me, getting to spend most days of the week together. That December, my friends were all going to a Flatland Cavalry concert that I really wanted to go to, but I already had flights booked home to Denver that same night. While walking our YoungLife leader’s dog (Ocho) with Jake and a friend, the idea came up that I could cancel my flight, go to the concert, and drive back with Jake the next day. After a few hours of debating, I decided to be spontaneous- and I’m so glad I did. The concert was amazing, but the drive back might have been even better. I’d made that drive with my dad several times, but none of them ever felt as short as it did with Jake (sorry, Dad!). When he dropped me off 12 hours later, I was already excited to spend the rest of break hanging out. Our “friendship” kept getting deeper in the next few months, and then eventually one night when we were all driving home from Top Golf one night, Jake jumped into my car at a red light and asked me on a date. My breath was taken away (mostly from being scared I was getting kidnapped). At first I said no out of fear of ruining a great friendship, but as I kept thinking about it through the next few weeks, I couldn’t help but feel like I was missing out on a relationship that could be really special. I gained up the courage to ask Jake to talk, and asked him if he was still interested on going on a date. Looking back, I can’t be any more grateful to my past self for getting over that initial fear. As cheesy as it sounds, Jake is the man that I have prayed for. He is handsome (I mean look at those dimples), Godly, gentle, and is quick to love me before thinking about himself. Each one of the qualities that initially drew me to Jake have only become more evident since then. Being able to do the rest of my life alongside Jake is one of my favorite answered prayers, and I am counting down the days until our life together begins<3

We first met on a Christ Chapel College fall break trip to Broken Bow, Oklahoma — my junior year, Sarah’s sophomore year of college. We only talked a few times that weekend, but it was enough to put a name to a face. Over the next year, we kept running in the same circles — serving at church, hanging out with the same friends, and slowly building a friendship. Going into my senior year, Sarah reached out to me about joining her Young Life team at Paschal High School. I said yes, and before long we were co-leading freshmen — she led the girls, I led the guys. Between club nights, leader meetings, and walking our team leader’s chocolate lab (shout out Ocho), and involvement at church, we spent a lot of time around each other. That winter, Sarah considered canceling her flight to stay in Fort Worth for a couple extra days during winter break to catch a Flatland Calvary concert. She knew I was driving home to Colorado and asked if she could stay and catch a ride home since we both lived so close back home. I said yes not thinking much of it. A 12-hour drive somehow felt like 15 minutes. We talked the whole way, and I remember dropping her off thinking, “dang I wish that trip wasn’t over.” After that, I kept finding excuses to hang out — ski trips, walks with Ocho, Young Life events, church — and somewhere along the way, I realized I liked her. I just needed to grow the nuts and go ask her out. So, one night on the way home from a group hang out, one of my buddies pointed out that Sarah was driving in front of us. I decided that if the next stoplight turned red, I’d jump out of the car and go jump in her car and ask her out. Sure enough… It turned red. I jumped out. She was so startled, I scared the life out of her, she thought a homeless man was attacking (I guess you could say I took her breath away). After her heart rate finally came back down, I finally asked her out on a date. She said yes… then the next day said no. She said that she didn’t want to jeopardize the friendship we had if the relationship went south. But after a weekend to think it over, she came to her senses and decided things working out were worth the risk. We went on our first date right after spring break, started officially dating soon after, and the rest just unfolded naturally built on the foundation of a sweet friendship and shared love for Jesus. A year later, after countless road trips, moments, memories, and a whole lot of laughter, I knew she was the one. So, I schemed up a plan, got a ring, and well… here we are…