j&l

I don’t remember meeting Joe, but I always knew who he was. In elementary school, he was the kid who wore those Merrell shoes. In junior high, he was the guy in my history class and the kid who had the cardiac arrest accident on the LHJH track. In high school, he was my friend! Joe was always a consistent friend to me and, for almost all of high school, very much JUST a friend. At the beginning of senior year, though, things started to feel a little different. He began hanging around the tennis team more, which at first I thought was because some of our other friends played too. We had a couple of classes together, and Joe had a kid in our architecture class switch seats so he could sit next to me. Then, in October, he asked me to homecoming! Again, we were friends, so this didn’t seem out of the ordinary, but I established that I just wanted to go as friends that night. I didn’t know what his feelings were for sure, but I thought it would be fine since we were in a group and all our friends were going as each other’s dates too. As we continued to prepare for homecoming and spend more time together, things started to change for me. I saw how thoughtful Joe is and how kind he was to me. I saw how loyal of a friend he is and how intentional he is with his time. Homecoming with him was so much fun, and I decided I should probably tell him how I felt! The Monday after homecoming, in the Party City parking lot after LH Young Life, I told Joe I thought I might like him. He was excited and immediately asked me on a date! I said yes! He texted me when I got home: “You, me, ihop, Wednesday,” which I thought was just perfect. On November 3rd (after talking to my dad!), Joe officially asked me to be his girlfriend! I’m so thankful for our friendship before dating because it has given us a perspective on how to love each other in so many aspects. I was already set on going to Texas A&M, and Joe was hoping to as well, but in March of our senior year, he decided to go to Texas A&M–Galveston. I was scared of missing him and that long distance would be hard, but we decided to try to continue dating even with the distance. Thankfully, Joe got to come to cstat often for games and to see our friends, but there were definitely times when it was difficult. Despite the hardship, I can confidently say that the Lord used our time dating from a distance to grow us closer to Him and help us learn how to love each other better. I am so thankful for the way that year-ish apart shaped our relationship! Spring semester of freshman year, Joe decided to transfer to the College Station campus for the next 3 years. I was so thankful and excited to experience college together, but also prayerful about how to continue to date well and be intentional amid all the other things we would be involved in. The Lord was so kind to help us navigate how to spend time with each other as well as in Young Life, the Bass Fishing Team, Chi O, with friends & community, and school (of course). The couple of years we’ve had there have been so sweet! On April 9th, 2025, Joe and I had a date planned at my favorite cstat restaurant, Gringo’s, and I was under the impression that after dinner he was going to drop me off at home to study for my anatomy exam the next day. But as we neared my house, he pulled over and asked me to marry him on a park bridge complete with a firework show set off by his friends! I was completely surprised but felt so much peace in my yes. This season of engagement has been so special, and I am so excited to marry Joe Krejci!

I don’t remember the first time that I met Lily. But we were always good friends in high school and I always stuck up for her. It wasn’t until senior year architecture class where we sat next to each other where I started to like her. So I asked her to homecoming, but she made it very obvious that she just wanted us to go as friends. But I wanted more. I remember she got me LED lights on my hoco garter and all blue raspberry candy in the mum jar, which is my favorite, and when I got home after the mum exchange my mom said “you have got to figure out how to get this girl!”. I said “don’t you think I’m trying mom?!”. It wasn't until after homecoming that she realized that she liked me back. So right when she told me I asked her on a date to IHOP and eventually to be my girlfriend. Lily has always wanted to go to Texas A&M since she was a kid and I loved that they had a fishing team and are an AG school. Unfortunately, I didn't get in, so I decided to spend my first year at Texas A&M Galveston. This led me and Lily to have a hard conversation about if it was worth it to stay together, where we decided it was and to try long distance. That year of long distance was hard but it was great to have that freshman year experience to learn and grow without having to worry about balancing hanging out with each other and finding our own groups. After freshman year I transferred to A&M College Station and joined the fishing team which was such a great opportunity. Lily was also in chi o which meant we got to go to a lot of awesome date parties together. I’ve loved getting to be together in college! Then when junior year came, me and Lily had a talk about getting engaged. We both always loved the idea of getting married right out of college. So we had that discussion and a few weeks later we went ring shopping for fun. After that, we had the deal that we were not going to talk about engagement until we actually got engaged but she figured it would happen in the spring semester at some point. One thing specifically important was that Lily told me I couldn’t propose until I turned 22 (April 4th). This gave me the time to make the most perfect proposal. We walked at this park by her house at least a few times a week and it has the most perfect bridge in it. Leading up to the proposal I asked her dads permission over winter break. She had no clue that I had talked to him already because leading up to it I had not been home. I showed her roommates and sister the ring and looked at it about every day leading up to the date of the proposal. I started praying Ephesians 5:31 over our future. Lily thought that I was super behind on all the things but little did she know I had the ring months before I proposed. On April 9th (5 days after I turned 22) it was time. I had been praying about my heart condition and that morning felt so much peace about everything. And the proposal went perfectly! The fireworks I bought months beforehand were lit at the perfect time by some of my good friends on the fishing team as I asked Lily to marry me on the bridge by her house. All of our friends and family met at Lily’s house right after to celebrate us. I love this girl so much and can't wait to marry her.

We are so thankful for the way the Lord has worked in our lives individually & as a couple. As we continue to prepare for marriage, we would ask that y’all would pray Romans 12:9-13 over us! May 16, 2026— here we come!!!