Our love story began on May 1st of 2019! Ms. Angela Martin, a dear family friend of mine recommended that I meet Josiah. At the time, Ms. Angela was directing Josiah in his first musical at Sampson Community Theater, which is located in Clinton, NC, my home town. Josiah and I grew up performing in musicals at theaters minutes apart from each other, however our paths never crossed until Legally Blonde Jr. the Musical at SCT. I was not in the production because I was in college at the time. However, after Ms. Angela got to chat with Josiah one night when he volunteered to stay to help her paint, she just knew that she couldn’t let the production end without introducing us. I was unable to attend any of the performances, so I attended the final dress rehearsal. I brought my childhood best friend and now bridesmaid Anna along with me! I was in the theater that I had grown up in and was quite comfortable, however that night I was more nervous than I had ever been. Josiah and I chatted briefly and a few days later I built up enough courage to send him an Instagram message. We met for dinner at Olive Garden where we chatted for hours about our families, and enjoyed a musical together that evening that we had no clue the other person was attending. We ended our first date by exchanging phone numbers and saying let’s do this again! I was confident that I would marry Josiah from day one of our relationship. A few hours after meeting him, I sent Karli, my dear friend from UNC a text saying “ps: I met my husband tonight Karli. Mark my word!”. My personality isn’t the type to say such a thing, however after meeting him for the first time I felt this indescribable sense of security and peace. We have come far since then and overtime our hearts have been knitted together. We have spent the past three years of our life preparing for our marriage. We have walked through valleys together, grew in our faith together, celebrated one another, and fell more in love with one another. A year into dating, we both felt led to start careers that would help those in need. In August of 2020 in the middle of the pandemic, Josiah started training at the fire academy and I began classes & clinicals at the UNC-CH School of Nursing. Josiah completed his training in October of 2020. That same month, Josiah enlisted in the Army National Guard. On March 16th, 2021, Josiah departed for Oklahoma and Texas for military training to become a combat medic. Letter writing was our only form of communication for a few months. Our six months apart was a major time of growth for us as individuals as well as our relationship. Upon return from the military, Josiah began working as a fireman in October of 2021 at New Hanover County Fire Rescue. November 16th, 2021, two & a half years from our first encounter, Josiah got down on one knee at the end of a beautiful pier at Kure Beach and asked me to marry him. Beaming with joy, I very quickly said yes and the rest of our love story is history! The edison lights, roses, candles, the sound of the waves crashing, beautiful circle rug, and the attendance of both of our families added a special touch to our engagement. Since the engagement, both Josiah and I have graduated from college. Josiah graduated with his associate’s degree in science. I graduated from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill with my bachelor degree in nursing and am working as a labor and delivery nurse at Cape Fear Valley Medical Center in Fayetteville, North Carolina. In October, we will begin our marriage living in a small town outside of the city limits of Fayetteville, North Carolina just minutes from family where we hope to be able to slow down a little and enjoy the many years of marriage to come. - The future Mrs. Burkhardt