We initially met in 2013 serving in ministry together. We saw each other about 2 times a week for 2 years in friend/group settings. Eventually those ministries we were a part of came to and end and we parted ways not knowing if we would ever see each other again.

8 years later we reconnected through our mutual friend Gram . . . Instagram (haha - Joel's joke) After messaging for about a month, Joel invited me to his 30th birthday celebration which I was unable to attend. He said he would still love to see me. We met up in Anacortes and hung out literally all day catching up on all that had happened over the last 8 years. When I asked about getting food at some point during that day since I was getting hungry, Joel mentioned he had made reservations at Il Granaio Authentic Italian Restaurant in Mount Vernon. This was the moment I knew Joel was interested because just above that restaurant is where we met 10 years before through a young adults college ministry called The Vine. At dinner, Joel told me that he had liked me since he met me and asked if I would like to pursue a relationship with the intentions of marriage with him. My answer was yes!

Joel reserved the little conference room space at Whidbey Coffee in Oak Harbor to escape the Washington rain, work on our Bible study, just hang out and get engaged haha He had recently been telling me he had learned a new card trick he wanted to show me and I was excited to see it! After a bit he got out a deck of cards to show me the magic trick. He made my card (the Ace of diamonds) appear behind a picture frame on the wall and I was amazed! I asked him to show me the trick again but slower so I could try and see how he did it. This time he did it on a different picture frame and asked me to take the frame off the wall. When I did, there was a piece of paper on the wall that said “will you marry me?” I set the frame down on a chair and turned around. There he was, down on one knee with a ring box in his hand. I started crying and he asked “Lindsee, will you marry me?” I nodded and he stood up. We hugged, and kissed and I asked “can I see it?” since I hadn't actually looked at the ring yet in the shock of it all. When he went to put the ring on my finger, he stopped with it about half way on and says “did you say something?” I said “what do you mean? When?” and he said “did you actually say yes?” We both had a good laugh realizing I hadn’t verbally said “yes” to his proposal yet, only the nodding and smiling up to that point. My answer was yes!!