WE'RE GETTING MARRIED!!!

Same hometown, same age, same college major...never crossed paths until both of us were in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Emily was starting her second year in the AmeriCorps program City Year, and Jason was starting his PhD program at Louisiana State University. Mutual friends of friends knew that we were both from North Carolina and put us in the same group at a Spelling Bee fundraiser for City Year. Emily was smitten from the beginning, but too busy to make a move. Fast forward to Emily in her first year of teaching, back in North Carolina, on her way to Baton Rouge to visit old friends and students of hers for Spring Break. The kind, bubbly friend of Hope Lindsey asked Emily on her second to last day in town: "Do you remember Jason?" "No," Emily replied, "Who is that?" Once she was informed that it was the "guy with the beard from Greensboro," Emily immediately remembered the tall, handsome, kind gentleman she had met the October almost a year and a half before. Numbers were exchanged, they met up for drinks, got through the awkward question of why Jason was a Duke fan, and figured out the INSANE number of mutual friends they shared. They discovered they had in fact, crossed paths before. Jason was attending a youth retreat that Emily was volunteering at and were both in the SAME room 9 years before. This weird discovery wasn’t such a bad thing, Jason reminded Emily, as they headed to meet up with Shelley, a friend of Emily’s from UNC and Jason’s from LSU. Though Shelley warned Emily not to fall for a Duke fan, it was too late. Emily went home to North Carolina the next day hoping and praying that somehow this could work from so far away, and Jason remained consistent in communicating, and even made the trip to see her that summer, when they officially started dating. Neither expected this whirlwind to happen, but both were grateful for the love they found.

Of course the idea had been discussed and the suspense of long distance relationships had Emily on edge, wondering when the question would be asked. Jason had better ideas, had the ring, since Labor Day and was waiting for the right time to surprise his future bride. A random Saturday afternoon, November 24th, 2018, before heading to the Peters’ Family Thanksgiving holiday dinner, the happy couple was watching football and waiting on a blueberry pie to finish baking. Emily went to the kitchen to check on the progress of the pie and discovered a box, a box that looked big enough to hold a ring box, her heart began to beat fast. After asking Jason if he knew what it was, he replied he didn’t know and to open it and find out. She wasn’t sure if it was hers or her roommate, Reed’s, she sent a text to find out. Reed laid no claim, so Emily slowly opened the box, which was EMPTY. Jason laughed and Emily said some fun words, tossing the box towards his playful self. Upon returning from the restroom later, Emily noticed an actual ring box on the ottoman in front of her seat on the couch. Assuming more antics were afoot, she told Jason that this box was probably a prop box, knowing she could expect a ring next year. Jason just shook his head and laughed at how much of a rise he was getting out of her. Slowly opening this box, Emily’s eyes widened, but the box was EMPTY again!!! More words were shared and laughter continued, but Emily was sure she was right, and the proposal would be another century away. She went back to the kitchen for the aroma of the pie was calling, turned around, saw the jokester Jason on one knee with a gorgeous ring in his hand. Jason asked Emily to marry him, and despite her better judgement, she said yes.