Nicholas and Shelbi both started going to Redemption City Church in 2020. In July of 2022, Nick asked Shelbi to go to dinner...she said no. So, Nick asked again in October if Shelbi wanted to grab lunch (softer start)....she said yes. They went out to Barcocina and talked about church, growing up, and as Nick says "everything." They went out on a second date to Verde a month later (Shelbi's schedule stinks) and split an overly arugula'd pizza. She scored the date a 7.9/10 on compatibility, but Shelbi asked Nick if they could just be friends. Sorry, Nicholas... ...but!!!! there's a but!! Fast forward to late 2023 Shelbi decided that she had a crush on Nicholas and might have made a big mistake not taking him up on a 3rd date (per Nick). She even pretended to be his girlfriend at a party to see if she enjoyed being around him (unbeknownst to Nick). He just noticed that she sat next to him. Or maybe it was the beard and the friend groups merging, but Shelbi decided to shoot her shot and take Nick up on a 1v1 pickleball match at Patterson Park. Once Shelbi won (per Shelbi) and saw how Nick handled a loss (also per Shelbi), they decided to keep going on "dates." Or as Shelbi likes to call them meet and greets. January 20, 2024 Shelbi had to wear the pants of the relationship and ask Nick if they were dating, to which he responded, "Wait... are we not?" Alright enough of third person! As we look back on our relationship, we can't help but think of God's grace and the wild ride that dating is. Whether that was having hard conversations that neither of us wanted to have or going on a day date (which lasted 22 hours...), these moments reminded us that we are a team and running along side each other. God's grace is sufficient and we're evidence of that.