We're getting married!

I met Sierra on a beautiful starry night on Maui. Okay actually we were playing ping pong in my garage while our parents were talking in the living room. I was 14 and she was 13. She asked me what my favorite call of duty video game was, and I've been hooked ever since haha. Sierra stood out to me from the other girls my age. She was easy to talk to and I enjoyed her company. We were both in the same friend group, so we got to see each other about 5 times a week. We got pretty close after we found out that my family was moving back to Coeur d'Alene Idaho. That was a difficult season. I thought that I wouldn't ever see her again, and that was a very empty feeling. Fast forward a few years, and I decided that I hated not being around Sierra. She was my best friend and I missed her. So, I made a wild phone call. I asked if I could see her again. By some miracle she said, "Okay" haha. So, we started visiting each other. Shortly after that we officially started dating. She was living in Colorado at the time, so we had to do long distance. Not being in the same state was challenging, but so worth it. We visited as often as we could. Sierra impressed me with her heart for the Lord and her genuine love for me. About a year and a half into dating, we hit a rough patch in our relationship. We broke up, and it was the hardest season of my life. I tried to forget her, but she was too special to me. For the second time in my life I thought that I would never see her again, and I had that same empty feeling. I pushed my emotions down for a few years, but I hit a point where I couldn't take it anymore. I missed our friendship. So, I made a second wild phone call. I asked if I could see her again, and again, she said "Okay". I bought a plane ticket for the next week and saw her. We experienced so much healing over that visit. Our relationship was restored, and we both had so much grace for each other. We started dating shortly after that. I asked my best friend to marry me on July 4th 2025. We are so excited for the future and we're ready to start our family together. God has been so good to us throughout all of these seasons. He shaped us to become a little bit more Like Christ. We aim to keep Him at the center of our lives, always. We see us getting back together as a total miracle and we want to give God all the glory for that. He has blessed us in more ways than we know.

I remember being new to the youth group and only recognizing a few faces. Although we hadn't talked, I took notice of Josh. I noticed the way he was kind and eager to serve others. Anytime someone needed volunteers to load and unload equipment, or set up chairs, or retrieve something, Josh was quick to help. He was patient and gentle in a way that stood out from what you'd typically expect from a teenage boy, haha. I admired him and thought he would make a good friend. One evening, when we were still young, our families had dinner together. Josh's family had a ping-pong table and so we played for a few hours. I think that's the first time we spoke. I'm no good at ping-pong so I'm pretty sure half of my vocabulary that night was various apologies. Nonetheless, we got along well. In highschool, Josh's family had moved back to Idaho. I was sad to lose my friend; I thought I'd never see him again. That was a very difficult season. The following few years, I had moved to Colorado to attend Colorado Christian University. It was in March, in Colorado, that I received a wild phone call from Josh asking if we could see each other. After being initially hesitant, I agreed. And we started officially dating long-distance in December 2020. About a year or so into dating, we came across some unexpected conflict in our relationship. In our lack of maturity, we didn't know how to handle it. We felt stuck and like we didn't have any other options... So we broke up. That was a devastating time for me. Josh had become my best friend. So, not only did I grieve the ending of our relationship, but also our friendship too. We didn't talk to each other for several years. We had gone our separate ways, him in Idaho, me in Colorado. We pursued various things we felt the Lord call us to. I had no idea what was going on in Josh's life, but I thought of him often. Then... It was in March, in Colorado, that I received another wild call from Josh... Asking if he could see me... And I agreed. We were both so nervous to see each other, but it was a happy reunion I never thought I'd get. I was overjoyed to see my best friend again. We reconciled with each other and our relationship was restored. I moved to Idaho shortly after we started dating again. And on July 4, 2025, Josh asked me to be his wife. It's nearly 10 years in the making, and I am beyond grateful that the Lord has brought us back to one another. Of course I said yes! Over the years, interwoven in our story, the Lord has shown Himself to be faithful. He is faithful when we're together, and He was faithful when we were apart. He has blessed us tremendously, and we get to experience His grace both as individuals and as a couple. Josh and I love that our relationship is restored, but we also recognize it is but a mere image of the astounding restorative relationship we have with God by work of Jesus Christ on the cross. We have such a joy when we're together; and yet a Greater Joy to be in Christ. Come, help us celebrate this joyous season!