We're getting Married!

On November 24th, 2019 Jasmine's church leaders Crystal and Anthony Wojdyla hosted a Friendsgiving potluck. Being best friends with Crystal and Anthony, Danny was naturally invited as well. The two had basic introductory conversations about travel and what they do for fun but it was not until the guitars were brought out that Jasmine took notice in the nerdy punk rock guy. Unbeknownst to Jasmine and Danny, that evening would mark the beginning of a friendship founded on the shared love for emo music and adventure. Fast forward forward five years later, the two's friendship grew exponentially through concerts, festivals, exploring the city, hanging out with friends, and Jasmine even played in a role in getting Danny back into church and following the Lord again. Suddenly, in the fall of 2023, tragedy struck. The untimely death of a mutual friend followed by a group of friends leaving to a different church left Jasmine and Danny at a crossroads. Trauma, confusion, and a slew of emotions dominated the atmosphere but the two decided to double down and navigate it all as a team. Eventually in the Spring of 2024, they were nearly inseparable. In April of that year, the two were once again at a crossroads. They were best friends but not dating. They did not know what direction to take or if it would even be possible to remain "just friends" as Jasmine had no intention of dating Danny and cringed at the thought. However, things started to shift after a Memorial Day weekend camping trip with friends from Park Community Church. Due to Jasmine's dietary restrictions at the time, Danny was able to provide a healthy and tasty weekend menu for them to enjoy and gave Jasmine a glimpse into a different, more caring side she had never noticed before. After the trip, Jasmine was unsure of her emotions. The two took time away from each other to pray and seek direction from the Lord. Jasmine pondered her feelings with her therapist, talked it over and prayed with her mentor Megan, and had a breakthrough moment in prayer with God that finally helped her come to grips with her feelings for Danny. A week later on May 31st, 2025, the two met to have "the talk". Perhaps it was Danny's baked goods and a mighty fine camping stew, but more likely due to some good old fashioned divine intervention, Jasmine had a change of heart. The emotional blocks and walls were torn down and she was ready to give Danny a chance. The following year would be one of the greatest and busiest years of their lives as they explored dating, took on leadership roles in their church's young adult's ministry, and embarked on the C.S. Lewis Institute's Fellow's Program. Throughout a year of reading, writing, attending lectures, making new friends, camping trips, and growing more and more in love, they quickly knew that they wanted to spend the rest of their lives together. One year to the day they started dating, May 31st 2025, they got engaged at their favorite spot in the city and with a little help from their friends, celebrated the beginning of a new, exciting chapter in their lives.