We’re getting married!

Looking back now, it is almost impossible to believe how many times our worlds nearly touched before we actually met. In so many ways, it feels like we were connected long before we knew it, tied together by a quiet invisible string that waited for the perfect moment to pull us close. We went to the same middle school, shared the same friend circles, and spent our days just a few feet apart, yet we never crossed paths. It is wild to imagine we might have stood in the same lunch line or sat in the same bleachers without realizing the person we were meant to love was right there all along. Years later, in 2018, Andrew reached out to me on Facebook. I never saw the message because I had changed Facebook accounts and the old one was no longer active. It became another almost moment in our story that still was not meant to unfold yet. It felt like life kept saying not yet, just wait. And what makes it even crazier is that our families were already connected without us realizing it. Andrew’s sister, Colleen, has three beautiful children with Zach. Zach’s brother, Andy, is my sister Michaela’s high school sweetheart and now her husband. Our families were already sharing milestones and memories that quietly braided our lives together long before we ever shared one of our own. Eventually, the timing finally lined up. We followed each other on social media through mutual friends, and that is when Andrew really noticed me. He thought I was beautiful and, even though reaching out like that was not something he normally did, he asked me out. At the time, I was not comfortable going on dates with someone I had never met in person. It had nothing to do with him. It was simply the way I protected myself. But we kept talking. We got to know each other little by little. Messages, jokes, and conversations that began to feel warm and familiar. Somewhere along the way, something shifted. I started to feel safe with him. Curious about him. Drawn to him. So I decided to make it fun. I told him he could earn a date with me if he reached one thousand points, and every compliment he gave was worth ten. It was playful and sweet and it gave us the chance to grow closer naturally. He meant every compliment, and slowly the points added up. Eventually, he reached one thousand points and I stayed true to my word. Our first date was at Round One Arcade. From the moment we met in person, everything felt easy and natural. It had that familiar feeling that makes you think, I know you, I have been waiting for you. We were teenagers when we fell for each other, learning who we were and who we wanted to be. We have grown up side by side, choosing each other through every season, becoming softer, stronger, and more steady together. Our love has matured with us and has turned into a partnership that feels safe, joyful, and full of purpose. Now our little family includes our two Rottweilers, Sadie Mae and Steel, who have been with us through so many of our memories. They are part of our story too and they remind us of the home we have built together and the life we are creating. When we look back, we can see how God’s timing was woven into every near miss and every delay. All the times we could have met but did not were simply preparing us for the moment we were finally ready for each other. When we finally connected, it did not feel random. It felt like destiny finally catching up. As we prepare for our wedding, we are grateful for every twist, every almost, every hidden connection, and every invisible string that pulled us right where we were always meant to be, together.