The first person Kristine and Drew met at Liberty was each other. In 2019 at college for a weekend, Kristine’s future teammate, Rebekah invited her to an event for potential Liberty students. When Kristine arrived at the event, she was met by Rebekah and some of her classmates. “Kristine, this is Drew from high school,” said Rebekah. Drew introduced himself and the story of Drew and Kristine began. As much as he wishes he swept her off her feet, Drew’s first impression didn’t exactly win her over. Kristine and Drew would attend Liberty the following year, seeing each other around and sharing an awkward wave occasionally. Then, 4 years after their first meeting, things began to change. While in his dorm as a junior, Drew heard a majestic deep voice singing White Christmas through the shower vent. Drew overheard the same deep voice in the dorm building later that week and identified the mystery singer as none other than Kristine’s brother, Seth. Overhearing Seth talking about his premed classes, Drew introduced himself and began to discuss the same courses he had taken. Unlike with Kristine at CFAW, Drew made a great impression on Seth. This impression led Seth to return home for Thanksgiving that year to tell Kristine about Drew. Despite Seth’s efforts, Kristine remained unconvinced, saying that she had met Drew and he was “not her type.” Seth refused to give up and continued to bring up Drew incessantly until “What about Drew” became an inside joke. The following semester, Drew and Kristine ran into each other on campus. While they usually would share a wave or say hi, Seth’s “What about Drew?” inspired Kristine to start a conversation. Unfortunately, Drew wasn’t able to take a hint so the conversation ended. Nearly 7 months passed, and Drew and Kristine were entering their final semester of college. Drew had begun picking potential med schools, and Kristine had started finalizing her job as a NICU nurse at Duke. With the potential to move anywhere after graduation, Drew and Kristine both internally decided that getting into a relationship would not work. Little did they know that God has a sense of humor. While on a family vacation in the winter, Drew saw over social media that it was Kristine’s birthday. Convinced that she had to be in a serious relationship, but considering he had nothing to lose, Drew wished her happy birthday. Kristine responded by asking him how he was doing and what his plans were after graduation. Drew stared at his phone in confusion. “How on earth could this girl be single?” He thought to himself. After Drew had responded, Kristine continued to ask questions. Confused, he showed his sister Leah, who confirmed his wildest conspiracy. “She likes you,” Leah said. To Drew, the unbelievable had become believable. When they returned to Liberty, Drew asked Kristine out. What was intended to be a quick meal turned into a 3 hour discussion where Drew and Kristine shared their faith and life stories. Although they began the date skeptical, they left feeling like their lives would never be the same. From then on, Kristine and Drew became inseparable, spending nearly every free moment together. Drew made it clear early in their relationship that he wouldn’t say “I Love You” until he knew he was ready to get married. 2 months into their relationship, Drew professed his love to Kristine. The two would continue to grow in their faith together and fall more in love, spending time with each other’s families and friends. In the fall, Kristine began working at Duke. Around the same time, Drew was accepted to Campbell’s DO school, his dream medical school only an hour away from Kristine’s job. In late October, with the help of Kristine’s friends, Drew surprised Kristine by asking her to marry him. Now they are excited to start their lives together as Mr. & Mrs. in NC! Kristine will continue to work as a nurse while Drew attends med school this fall! Life Verse: Jeremiah 29:11