We met in the summer of 2017 and started out as long distance friends. We texted and chatted daily, and realized we could talk about anything under the sun and found joy in each other's company. We immediately became best friends, and every day brought happiness as we looked forward to the daily and late night conversations. Despite being 2,000 miles apart with a 2-hour time difference at that time, we developed a strong and beautiful friendship that would eventually become an important foundation of our relationship. We valued and respected each other's happiness and vulnerability. Most important of all, our friendship was built on trust and openness. The couple years before the pandemic gave us our own challenges in life. Despite this, and along with the challenges of physically apart, we learned to grow and face those difficulties together. This was when we learned even through the dark times of life we could count on and will always have each other. It is truly the kind of love that bonds people and the kind of love God teaches and desires for His children. With God's perfect timing and blessings, He opened the doors to bring us together in Bismarck, North Dakota in the summer of 2021. We will finally tie the knot in the summer of 2024! Two people are better off than one. For they can help each other succeed. - Ecclesiastes 4:9