Our story began on April 3rd, 2024, unexpectedly, delightfully and on a run. Morgan had recently moved to Fort Worth and had been consistently going to a social run club. On this particular night, Sam was checking it out for the first time. Shortly after the run started, he quickly took note of the girl who passed him and intentionally caught up to her, running slightly ahead, staying close enough to hear her mention Minnetonka, the city in Minnesota where she grew up. Taken by surprise, he turned around to share that he, too, was a Minnesotan. We ran the rest of the route together and talked afterwards, putting together that we were going to the same church, had very similar midwestern upbringings and of course, shared the joy of running and being outdoors. We both felt a connection immediately and were giddy, knowing we would see each other again. The next month was filled with early morning runs, hangouts with mutual friends playing pickleball and volleyball, and Sam getting ready to ask Morgan on a date. On May 9th, Sam asked Morgan to go out with him on a 6:30am coffee date. Morgan was charmed by Sam’s morning energy, his genuine heart for his community and his intentionality, while Sam was captivated by Morgan’s heart for serving those in her community, her adventurous and outgoing spirit and her kind, down to earth demeanor. Needless to say, she was late for work that day. On their second date, Sam invited Morgan on a group trip to Sedona the following month and eagerly waited to see if she would go. While initially surprised by his forwardness in the invite, Morgan agreed. The trip was full of sunset hikes, slow mornings eating breakfast on the porch, ATV rides through the desert, and rich conversations. Spending her first summer in Texas, Morgan came to understand Sam’s pursuance of her and fall in love with his openness and thoughtful leadership. As the summer flew by and turned to fall, Sam fell deeper in love with Morgan's passion for life and the beauty in her generosity and compassion. Over the next year we prioritized growing in our understanding of each other, serving each other and enjoying time together. This looked like hours of pickleball games, morning workouts at the track and traveling to Minnesota to meet each other’s families. Sam visited Morgan at work during lunch service (by far her favorite and cutest customer) and Morgan would curate delicious dinners that we would enjoy while recapping our days. We spent our time picnicking, Morgan bringing fig salads and Sam bouquets of sunflowers, shooting hoops at the park and having weekly coffee date check-ins that we coined “espresso & expressions”. From the very beginning, we both knew that we would choose a future together and on July 12th, Sam asked Morgan to marry him. He proposed at Taste, significant in being the place that brought Morgan to Texas and in feeling like home. Sam had lined a pathway of candles and rose petals leading up to Morgan’s favorite table in the restaurant where he got down on one knee and she answered with the most beaming and confident YES! After a delicious and personalized dinner, we set out to watch the sunset atop the bluffs at one of our favorite parks, followed by a beautiful surprise bonfire back at Morgan’s house. We feel beyond blessed and grateful for how God brought us together in his perfect timing and in awe of how faithful the Lord has been each step of the way. That individually we were once far off from God, but through his love for us and by His son's saving work on the cross, we are saved. The Lord has provided such an amazing and supportive community in all of you, getting us to where we are today. We are full of joy as we approach marriage, and we are so excited for a lifetime of loving God and loving others alongside one another. Thank you for the special part you have played in our lives. We cannot wait to celebrate with each and every one of you. With love, Sam + Morgan