When we tell people how we met, it's always met with plenty of laughter and a few "no ways," but ultimately, the timing could not have been more perfect. In the middle of the infamous 2020, our mutual friends were getting engaged. Carlie and Madison had known each other since 8th grade, attending high school and college together, and Kurt and Christian had been childhood best friends from Hawaii. Over the years that Kurt and Carlie were together, somehow we never met each other until their engagement party on July 17, 2020. Once the party had commenced and most of the guests had left, a small group of close friends and family remained where Madison introduced herself to Christian. The weekend continued with this same group making a trip to Waco where Christian and Madison became inseparable - talking with ease and finishing each other's thoughts. At the end of the weekend, Christian was headed back to Hawaii and Madison to Dallas - both thankful to have met and thinking they would run into each other one day...

Christian decided to make one day sooner rather than later, and he called Madison, the day after they said goodbye, to ask her on a date for three weeks later in Dallas. Madison was actually going to be with Carlie in South Carolina, visiting their college roommate, Ashton, for a girls' weekend in three weeks. To that, Christian said, "Great - I'll take you out in South Carolina." So instead of a girls' weekend, it was a friends' weekend as Kurt decided to come, too. For three weeks, Christian and Madison talked on the phone every night - with late nights for Madison (5 hour time difference after all!), but when the weekend in South Carolina came, neither of them felt like it was their first date, as they had already become good friends that couldn't wait to spend time together. The first date was full of candle-making, sushi-tasting and outdoor music. As the evening drew to a close, both of them knew that they had something special - and a first date kiss didn't hurt either! ;)

Both of us have been through many adventures and life changes in our relationship. Christian was furloughed shortly after we started dating and lived in Dallas with Madison's family for the month of October. When he was called back to work (thankful!!!), Christian and Madison officially started dating long distance and made a point to be with each other every three to four weeks. We have had the pleasure of spending precious time with each other's families - whether skiing with the Stankovits family in January or going to the beach with the Montgomery family in July. We have countless adventures with our friends and sweet memories in Hawaii and Texas. We are thankful for all of you that have been a part of our love story and who have shaped us, so we could journey across the ocean to each other. It's a story that sounds too good to be true, but ultimately, it's a love story that God has woven together to merge the ministries of our lives.