A poem by Jacob: This story was written, In the stars, By the Lord's hand, Straight from the start, He knew our strengths, He knew our faults, But even more, He knew our Hearts, He knew if only, These two could meet, They’d be perfect together, Like the Sun and the Sea, The sun and the sea Are the perfect team, While the sun warms you up, The sea is refreshing, They complement each other, And together become, Better together, Than they were as just one, If you look, It’s easy to see, Why the Lord brought together this union, Of Jake & Jamie, So sit back, And relax, As we begin, To tell you the story, Of how two strangers, Became Best Friends. Our story begins with the unexpected. Just one week after Jacob joined his new real estate team, he was invited to their awards night—completely unaware he would be receiving recognition himself. Jamie was there representing Weatherstone Property Inspections as a preferred vendor, assuming she might meet a new referral partner. As she stood at the bar waiting for a drink and turned to scan the room, she was surprised to find Jacob right behind her, wearing the biggest smile. She introduced herself for business reasons, never imagining she was meeting the man she would one day marry. From the very first conversation, it felt as if we had known each other for years. We discovered we lived in neighboring towns, bonded over our faith, and before we knew it, we were the last ones on the dance floor. Not ready for our time together to end, we continued the night talking for hours at a local wine bar in Lake Orion. It didn’t take long for the daily “Good Morning” calls to start, and for more dates to be planned. We had a natural chemistry that couldn’t be ignored. After about a month of seeing each other, we made things official. We didn’t just become each other’s significant others; we quickly became best friends. Our lives truly collided. We introduced each other to so many things, and our separate hobbies became shared interests. To this day, we bond over cooking together, playing golf, building fires, playing cards, going on walks with Zeke (our pup), board games, and so much more. A significant part of our relationship has been the fellowship we attend, Torah Club, an in-depth weekly Bible study held by First Fruits of Zion. Through this fellowship, our shared interests, deep conversations, and our love for the Lord, our bond has become one that only God can separate. One of our great joys is taking long road trips together. In the first year of our relationship, we traveled to the Smoky Mountains and the U.P. for some of our friends’ weddings. There is no better way to test your love for one another than being stuck with them in the car for days! But, honestly, the car ride is always our favorite part of the trip. :) We fell in love with Northern Michigan on our road trip to the U.P. and decided to plan another trip the following year to celebrate our birthdays. On the way up, we stopped at Black Bear Golf Course and got our golf fix in after 18 holes. After a whole debacle of losing his wallet (don’t worry, he found it!), Jacob got down on one knee in the middle of the golf course parking lot and asked Jamie to marry him. This was definitely a great way to start a trip! We look forward to creating many more memories in Northern Michigan, as we plan to spend our honeymoon exploring the beauty of our state (a road trip just seemed fitting!). Most of all, we’re looking forward to building a life together that honors the Lord. We are filled with love and joy and are so honored to have you be a part of our special day, where we’ll solidify and celebrate the covenant we make with each other. P.S. Bring your dancin' shoes!!