We're getting married!

We first met in Sunday School back in 2022 when Wesley and his family were up working in Talkeetna. We didn't talk hardly at all that first summer, just the normal "hi" in Sunday School. End of summer arrives and their entire family heads back south. The summer of 2023 arrives and Wesley and his dad come back up to work in Talkeetna, he first arrives while I am out giving my cousin the grand tour of Alaska. While I'm gone I stay in touch with our Sunday School teacher (also the church piano player), she tells me the week I'm coming back to church that she has a surprise for me and her only hint was that I should bring my flute. I arrive early for choir practice like always, flute in hand, but she says nothing. We practice, get all set up for church, and begin to head to Sunday School yet still nothing. We arrive at Sunday School and I see Wesley waiting for us, we exchange our typical, "hi" and start Sunday School. By the time the lesson is over I'm nearly bursting with curiosity as to what my "surprise" is but I am trying hard to be patient and wait for her to tell me. All the other kids file out of the room and as she puts her Bible and teaching curriculum away she looks up at Wesley and goes, "So did you bring your flute?" My head whips around in complete shock as he softly answers, "I did." She asks him if he'll play with us and I see the hesitant look on his face, I decide to finally speak up, hoping that I'll finally have a flute buddy again as I had had nobody to play flute with me in a little over 8 years. "You really should!" he looks at me, still extremely hesitant and I wonder if he'll say no, but to my surprise and delight, he agrees! We leave our Sunday School room and head over to the auditorium where I get him set up with a chair and show him the music we'll be playing. Fast forward to the end of the song service and all I could think was, "WOW! He's GOOD!!!" And for those of you who may not know me all that well, I am not easily impressed. I went home that week and all I could think about was how amazing he was at playing and hoping that he'd continue to play with me. He did and each week we'd talk a little bit more while we were waiting for the song service to start. All too soon and somewhat unexpectedly as it was still the middle of summer, his last Sunday to play arrived. After church there was a group of us that gathered at the back to talk to them and wish them well on their journey. I was standing next to our Sunday school teacher, mostly just listening and watching, per my usual, when he got this nervous look on his face and walked over to talk to me. Looking slightly terrified he asked for my Facebook. Internally I grimaced knowing how shy he was and the amount of courage that simple statement must've took as I answered with, "Sorry, I don't have one." His face fell and my heart flipped slightly in sympathy. Then an idea hit me, something I had never even considered doing before even when other boys had asked for my socials. "I don't have any social media...but I do have a phone number. I can give you that instead?" I ask with a small half smile, slightly nervous. His face lit up like a Christmas tree. "Yeah, that works" he says beaming at me. Our Sunday School teacher pipes up after we exchange numbers, "You'll have to text her, she won't reach out first." I giggle, knowing it is 100% true. They leave and I go back home wondering if he will indeed reach out to me and if so how long it may take. About a week later, my phone goes off. When I finally finished what I was doing and get the time to look at it, I see Wesley's name on my screen followed by our signature "Hi." I smile and instantly write back, "Hi!" The rest is history as we have texted/talked every day since then except for one day where he didn't have service and couldn't get any messages out.

From a young age, I always envisioned that if I found the right person, I would want to date her with the intention of marrying her. That vision became a reality with Grace. As I got to know her better, it became clear that she embodied everything I had ever hoped for in a future wife. She is humble, kind, beautiful, and musically talented, but most importantly, she is a God-fearing woman. After my trip to Alaska in March, I decided that Grace was the one I wanted to marry. Though the idea of proposing was a bit nerve-wracking, I felt a sense of peace after much prayer, knowing it was the right time. The question then became: How should I propose? During my family's first summer in Alaska in 2022, my dad and I had taken a flight tour to Denali and landed on a glacier. I had thought how incredible it would be to propose in such a breathtaking place. When I decided to propose to Grace, the Ruth Glacier immediately came to mind. As my visit in July approached, I was determined to make that dream a reality. In the days leading up to the proposal, I checked the weather app obsessively, hoping for clear skies. I was thrilled to see that Friday, July 19th, had a promising forecast. After researching options, I chose Talkeetna Air Taxi for the flight. On the day of the proposal, it was a crisp 45 degrees Fahrenheit. My heart raced with a mix of nerves and excitement as we prepared for the glacier landing. We boarded the plane, and after a stunning flight over the mountains, we landed on the glacier. Stepping out of the plane, I took a moment to appreciate the majestic surroundings and gather my thoughts. I asked the pilot to take a photo of us—though I had also requested his help in recording the proposal. As I handed him the phone and turned back to Grace, I got down on one knee and asked her, "Will you make me the happiest man alive?"