When the Pope arrived to the city of brotherly love in September 2015, Chris met Tina. And like all good love stories, Tina finally met Chris when they began working together in St. Augustine, Florida in February 2016. It was then that Chris came to realize that Tina was not the stuck-up brat that he previously thought she was, and Tina noticed that Chris cleaned up well. They were unable to keep their discussions strictly work-focused because they found the other to be "so incredibly easy to talk to," and soon found out that they brought out the best in each other. They began dating in August 2016 and grew a very strong relationship from long-distance.

WHO: Chris, Tina, and Tina's family (Tom, Monica, Nick, his girlfriend Michelle, Doug, and his wife Crystal) WHAT: Our Proposal WHEN: June 26, 2019 at 6:20PM Alaska Daylight Time WHERE: Alaska's Savage River Loop Trail in Denali National Park WHY: Good question! They were all hiking in the gorgeous Alaska mountains when Chris spotted something moving in what appeared to be a cave on the side of the mountain, on the other side of Savage River. Chris handed Tina his binoculars to have her check for him what the mysterious moving things was. Never one to prank, Tina believed him and was persistent in her attempt to find the moving thing. When she gave up all hope, she turned to her right and saw her family all smiling at her and taking photos. Assuming provocation from her family regarding her looking for so long at a dumb empty cave, she still did not notice Chris... until Chris grabbed her hand, and she found him behind her, down on one knee, with a ring box in hand (and a very nervous expression). Tina was in shock for the majority of Chris's rambling proposal statement (so do not ask either of them how it went, because neither remember). He placed the ring on her finger, stood up and gave her a hug and kiss, after which she said, "Didn't you forget to ask me something?" Chris then thought it would be a good idea to actually pop the question. Tina said "sure" (at this point, could you blame her?) and the Grzeczkowski family began their celebratory photography session. They eventually finished their hike. Every day since this humorous yet beautiful and joyful day, their excitement for sharing in the sacrament of marriage has grown stronger and stronger. They anticipate their wedding day with great peace and joy, knowing that the spouse they have chosen will make it their priority to help each other grow as a person and grow closer to God.

Using our names to come up with a cheeky hashtag for our wedding proved to be more difficult than I thought. Well, you know that sort of annoying person who can seemingly always find the deeper meaning to almost everything in life? Yeah, that's me, as many of you know. So, on the day of this wedding ceremony, it could be said that "a Grzeczkowski is now a Felix," right? Well, I thought I would make a little pun with the meanings of the names and this line. As most of you may know, the name "Felix" means "happy" in Latin. And as most of you probably don't know, the name "Grzeczkowski" comes from the word "grzeczny" which means "kind-hearted" and the surname suffix "-kowski" which means "person of" in Polish (compliments of Fr. Leon, RIP). Replace the names with their meanings and you get a statement very similar to a well-known cliche line which bears a lot truth to the meaning of life for which we all search: "A kind heart is a happy heart." I love pondering on this because, despite its simplicity, it is truly profound. We all search for happiness in our lives, and we often look in all the wrong places until we finally learn that true happiness is found in the generous expression of kindness and love for those whom God puts in our paths. Chris and I aim to use this principle as a foundation on which to build our marriage.