We’re getting married!

Before we met, we had a mutual friend in common. They tried to set us up on a blind date for prom. They failed. We didn't go to prom together #missedconnection. Looks like we got the "blind" part nailed down, just not the "date" part.

She wanted to work with junior high students at church. She didn't. They put her with the fifth and sixth graders. He wanted to work with fifth and sixth graders. He did. They said, "Wow, you already act like a fifth and sixth grader, you'll fit right in." She woke up that morning, and scratched open a mole on her face. The first thing she told him when he came in was, "My face is hemorrhaging; I'll be right back." That's when he knew...that she would be right back. When she got back, we talked about the ingredients of sour cream. That night, his first message to her was the contents of sour cream: not even a hi or hello or nice to meet you, just a list of the ingredients to sour cream. How sweet? She later invited him to a movie night. He didn't go.

Sometime later, they both moved into a residential after school program ministry. He started in the spring. She started in the summer. He went away to work at summer camp for the summer. Just missed her. At the end of summer, she was being moved out (to a different site), and he was being moved in (to her old site). She messaged him, "Hey, you want any of this stuff that is left behind in this apartment? I'm thinking about tossing it." He messaged her - actually, he didn't message her back.

She moved out; he moved in. Even though she lived somewhere else, she kept volunteering at the site. And so the hangs out after program and on the weekends began: the Birthday Beach trip, the Pho trips, the Art Hop, the Hockey Game, the Chicken Nuggets, the MoTown Night, the Non-Profit Classes, the Mountain Trip, Non-Profit Parties, the Catholic Church Dance, the Car Talks, the Sunrise, and the more Car Talks. One Car Talk lasted for awhile, a real while, the whole night; then at 5:55 in the AM he told her, "Hey, I like you. Do you want to date?" Then they did.

They dated. And dated. And keep dating. For 3 years and 5 months and 29 days and 11 hours and 5 minutes, then he proposed. She said, "Yes." It was a surprise date to the underground gardens, but the proposal was no surprise: he was nervous all day. He didn't finish a bowl of Mac and Cheese: who does that? Now it is time to celebrate. Will you celebrate with us? I mean, you've read this far, why turn back now...?