We're getting married!

Kelsey and Chris met in July of 2017 at a training event in Atlanta. They both work in college ministry for Reformed University Fellowship but Chris works in South Carolina and Kelsey is in Vermont. Kelsey saw Chris in the hotel lobby, thought he was cute, and asked her friend Ann Beverly (who went to college with Chris) to casually introduce them. They both thought the other was nice (and cute) but the week came and went and both returned to their places of ministry none the wiser to having met their future mate. October came quickly and they both found themselves in Atlanta for another week of training. This time they found themselves hanging out with lots of the same friends. Chris was thinking about asking her out but wasn't sure of the best way to do it. Kelsey was one step ahead of him, using her late flight out of Atlanta as an excuse, she asked if he wanted to grab lunch to kill some time. Chris countered with breakfast, and it was a date (sort of... neither named it as such so they like to call it their "pseudo first date"). They had bagels and coffee, covered a lot of ground, and both had a really lovely time. But Kelsey figured she wouldn't see Chris again until RUF's Summer Conference in May. That didn't stop her from texting their mutual friend Brandon (who goes to seminary with Chris) to ask if he was a good wing-man. Brandon took the text very literally and told Chris that Kelsey had a crush on him, encouraging him to go for it. Emboldened, Chris texted Kelsey and asked if he could call her that weekend. They started talking regularly, and they haven't stopped since. They've dated long distance since then, and they're very much looking forward to living in the same place!

After having dated for about a year, both were convinced that they wanted to spend the rest of their lives together. Since Chris and Kelsey live far apart, the times that they are in the same place are extra sweet. Kelsey flew back from Vermont to spend Thanksgiving week with family and Chris. Meanwhile, Chris had been making plans to ask a very special question. He asked Kelsey what she would like to do on her one free afternoon in North Carolina in the middle of their busy holiday schedule. Kelsey suggested going for a hike up Hawksbill Mountain, leading right into Chris' cleverly laid trap. Chris called up their mutual friend Logan (who is a skilled hunter and photographer extraordinaire) and asked him if he could be hiding on top of a mountain in NC, at sunset, with his camera at the ready. There was some drama in which Chris was worried that the ring wouldn't be ready but thanks to some hard work by his jeweler Dusty, and the Lord's good timing, everything was ready for when Kelsey arrived. On Sunday 11.18.18, Chris and Kelsey had a normal morning and afternoon, they went to church, they had lunch, they took naps, and then they drove up to Hawksbill for a sunset hike. On the way up the hike, Kelsey kept dropping hints that she wanted to be proposed to on a hike. When they reached the top, Kelsey went and found her spot on the mountain and they sat down together to watch a gorgeous sunset. Chris wanted to build some suspense (and give Logan time to be in the perfect spot) so he waited a good 20 minutes before suggesting that they walk around a bit. While Chris grabbed the ring out of his backback, Kelsey went and stared at the beauty. Internally, she was coming to terms with the fact that Chris was wasting such a beautiful sunset by not proposing. He walked over to her, they playfully bickered some, they told each other they loved one another, and Chris got down on one knee. He asked her to marry him, and Kelsey said yes, twice!