we're getting married!

A love story for the ages, Julia and JR were never supposed to be. Two years older and much more mature, Julia spent her college career increasing her human capital, opting to study in her inevitable field of education. After spending a year interning at the Wesley Foundation, Julia was looking for one last hoorah and decided to go to Colorado on a mission trip, where she met her much younger, slightly weirder, future husband. Upon completion of his third year of college, JR was excited to go back to Colorado for his third time. With a carry-on packed for 17 days, his parents dropped him off at the airport, not knowing that he would meet the love of his life. Halfway through the trip, JR and Julia struck up a meaningful conversation with each other in the most romantic of places: a laundromat. Not long after, Julia got JR’s phone number by asking for his coffee order. While still remaining focused on the mission trip’s purpose, JR and Julia only slightly flirted for the last week and a half. It wasn’t until the trip back that JR was willing to make his move. After two disastrous legs of the flight back to Atlanta, multiple times thinking he was going to die, and a heart rate exceeding 200 bpm, JR finally got the nerve after a quick prayer and made his big move in a terminal of the Atlanta airport. In less than a month, Julia would leave the wonderful community she established at Wesley and enter into the world of teaching. Would she have time to grow in a relationship with this boy? He was still in college. Would the two phases of life be too much for their romance? By no means! Instead, they thrived. JR received immense clout for dating an older woman, while Julia remained youthful by dating a younger man. That year, the two spent nearly every day together. That is, until JR left for Charleston. Seeing the good fruits that followed Julia’s teaching career- lack of sleep, emotional turmoil, and constant chaos- JR decided to take his background in History and Economics and go into the same field as his partner. It was the hardest year of his life, but surprise trips by Julia and his emotional ties to Athens helped him get through it. He graduated with his Masters in Education, and decided to move home to be closer to her. (Aw) Two and a half years later, JR and Julia have made the mutual decision to join together in unity. Their love and commitment to each other is apparent in their words and actions, and their relationship has been tested by both place and time. They are excited to share their love with everyone on June 5th, 2026, when they tie the knot in front of their families and best friends.