I still smile thinking about how Blake and I first crossed paths at our church Growth Group in September 2023. A group of us got close pretty quickly, and out of nowhere on September 28th, I got this random text from a number I didn't know - Blake asking if we wanted to go to Main Event with him and his friends. Nothing romantic happened then, but looking back, it's funny how things work out. The real story starts with Benson Boone, of all things. On April 12th, 2024, I couldn't get his song "Slow It Down" out of my head, so I texted Blake since I knew he was also a fan. He didn't reply until late the next night, but then on the 15th, he hit me with: "I have an odd question for you. What was your reason for texting me on Friday? Just curious." Honestly? I really just loved that song! At our Growth Group event that Wednesday, I wanted to ask him what made him send that follow-up text, but I chickened out and waited until I got home to text him instead. That's when he admitted he thought I might've been dropping hints. We hopped on a call, but I was still too nervous to say much of anything. I finally worked up the courage to text him asking how he'd feel if I had been interested. That's when everything changed - he told me he was interested, and I responded with probably the most noncommittal interested response ever: "I'm not not interested." We spent April and May getting to know each other better, and on June 1st, we made it official! From the very beginning, we were intentional about our relationship - even before we started dating, we'd had conversations about our timeline and what we were looking for. We both knew we wanted to date with purpose, with marriage as our goal. Those dating months were just the best. We road-tripped to Arkansas, caught concerts together, probably played enough pickleball to go pro, shared countless meals, celebrated at weddings, beach days in Galveston, had some pretty intense game nights, went on like 2-3 runs together (never again! Sorry Blake, love you!), and so much more. December 14th rolls around. On our way to brunch at Terrace 54, we passed Hermann Park and I mentioned I'd never been there (accidentally setting up the perfect moment). After eating, Blake suggested we check it out. As we were walking through the park, I kept getting stuck on how blue the lake looked. "Do you think they dye this lake?" Blake completely ignored me which is unlike him. "Hello? Do you think they dye the lake?" He just kind of nodded, clearly not paying attention. Come to find out he wasn't even hearing me - he was too busy trying to spot his brother and sister-in-law who were hiding somewhere to take pictures. We are so thrilled to be engaged and soon married! Looking back now, we're just in awe of God's timing and guidance. We are so excited to serve Christ and His church together - we couldn't be more grateful. Praise God from whom all blessings flow!!