Our story began in November, 2023. Eric planned to celebrate Thanksgiving with his family before deploying to the Middle East to serve in the US Army. Before coming home from North Carolina, he found Olivia online and wanted to spend time with her while on leave. After matching, we went on a couple of dates where we discovered our paths were woven in many ways—our moms attended Bible study together, we had mutual friends at our separate schools, and our families had attended the same Church. We couldn’t believe the similarities! After hitting it off over those two weeks, Eric unfortunately knew he had to leave for 7 months. After 2 amazing dates, we both found deep attraction in the way we shared a love for God, family, and being outdoors. After our second date, in a McAlister's parking lot, on a Tuesday night, we prayed for each other and our developing relationship during the hectic seasons of each of our lives. We agreed that we would communicate as best we could across time zones and learned to patiently see how our relationship would develop. Our relationship was time tested and our friendship strengthened. During those months apart, we wrote letters, sent gifts, and spent hours on FaceTime which built our relationship in a very unique way. God's faithfulness in a time of uncertainty and anticipation showed us that what He was creating was very special. When Eric returned, he took a month of leave in Louisville so we could spend time together-in person. In that season, our friendship grew deep and our love grew strong. Since then, we’ve sacrificed, traveled MANY miles on weekends and holidays to see each other while living in distant cities. We believe that the marriage covenant is a sacred gift and our prayer is that Jesus be known and glorified through it. We are both grateful for our family and friends who have loved us and for the people who have invested in us as individuals and as a couple! We are counting down the days to celebrate and share our love with each of you!