Austin: It was the first day of my freshman year. I was hopelessly lost on GFU’s campus, but I knew there was an info desk in the building closest to me at that point. I excitedly and anxiously rushed into the building finding the front desk. Before I went over though, there was this young woman sitting just across the way who caught my attention. At that point, I had a choice to make: get the info from the desk or use my shabby sense of direction as an excuse to talk with the beautiful lady. I chose the latter. I jaunted on over, introduced myself, and asked for her name. She sweetly said, “Sequoyah.” My heart fluttered a little (I’m a sucker for unique names) as she kindly gave me directions to my class. After that moment, I never saw her again. Until, a year later, I was helping first years move their belongings into their new homes when I saw her again (it felt like slow motion)! I just so happened to be helping move students into the dorm she was an RA of at the time (hmmm...coincidence?). That same semester, I felt very strongly I should be a part of a particular class section with a specific teacher, but I was waitlisted. Through some persistence, I finally made it in! As I walked into the classroom, I looked to my left, and to my surprise, Sequoyah was sitting right there (in my mind I was like, “What the...”)! These seemingly random points of connection did not stop there either. She and I kept running into each other after not seeing one another for a whole year. I was even taking a class and my professor mentioned her frequently throughout the course because she was one of his favorite students. After many prayers and conversations, I finally received peace to make the decision to ask her out and she had the peace and trust to say, “Yes” (I’m really glad she did!).

Sequoyah: Austin, being the creative and thoughtful guy that he is, led up to our proposal with a week full of sentimental dates. First, he brought us to our favorite hiking spot. The Oregon sun had just come out, but the ground was still muddy from recent rains. We slipped and laughed all the way up the mountain until our legs were covered in mud. At the top, we sat on a blanket and watched the sunset. I wondered, "Could this be when he'll propose?” But then… he didn’t! A few days later, Austin planned another special outing. He took us to a local wildlife refuge to walk the trails and watch the birds. Afterwards, he treated us to dinner and ice cream from two of our favorite places. Again, I thought, “Maybe he’s going to propose?” But then… he didn’t! By the third day, I began to stop guessing about his proposal. Austin invited me to join him on his graduation “victory lap" around campus, and it sounded like a wonderful idea to me. However, what started off as a time of remembering Austin’s college experience cleverly shifted into a time of remembering the significant moments we had shared as a couple. A funny memory here. An important conversation there. We were filled with gratitude for the friends we had made and the growth we had experienced. As our lap around campus concluded, Austin led us to a nearby private field surrounded by trees. He began to show me a song, but little did I know, it was to cover up the sound of our friends’ footsteps trailing behind. Once everyone was in place, Austin got down on his knee and asked me to marry him! As our friends snapped photos from the bushes, I cried, said, “Of course! Will you marry me?!” and rushed in for a hug. But that wasn't the end! After more tears and photos, our friends surprised us with a thoughtful video, sweet treats, and celebratory dance party. I smiled so much that my cheeks were sore the next day!

Although our story is quite charming, we want to be honest. We have had to work through many challenges with each other to get to where we are now. We would not be together if we did not have our community that supports us and our God that shows us what love is. Life, in its messy way, has many pains and joys wrapped up in it. We can walk through them on our own or with others. We have chosen to endure in the pain and celebrate in the joy together.