She is a country girl who grew up in Washington. Some of her favorite memories are from the year that her family built a cabin together. She remembers family time and the freedom to play and explore outside. He is from the mountains in Central California. Does that make him a mountain man? He also loves the outdoors. He fondly remembers family camping trips, motorcycle rides, and lake days. Heather moved with her family to Central California just before starting 6th grade. She spent many carefree days on the farm riding her horse Galaxy, playing in the river, and enjoying delicious garden produce. She graduated from Fresno Adventist Academy in 2009. Tom continued into his teenage years in Sonora, California, where he got involved in school sports and his church youth group. He remembers being excited to get his driver's license. During this time, Tom also enjoyed skiing (on the lake and in the snow) and going on snow-wheeling trips with his friends. He graduated from Mother Lode Adventist Junior Academy and then transferred to Rio Lindo Adventist Academy, where he graduated in 2009. The influence of these foundational years helped Tom determine the kind of man he wanted to be in life. Tom and Heather started their freshman year at Southern Adventist University in the fall of 2009. Ironically, their paths only crossed once that they can remember. They enjoyed their college experiences with new friends, outdoor adventures, and intramural sports. Tom studied theology, and Heather studied nursing during their time at Southern. Between his sophomore and junior years, Tom took some time to attend ARISE Bible College and to do Bible work in Oakhurst, California. Heather also took some time off from school and volunteered as a nurse in Sierra Leone between her junior and senior years of college. They both graduated from Southern Adventist University in 2014. After graduation, they both moved back to central California to start working in their respective careers. Tom worked as a youth pastor at the Sunnyside SDA Church in Fresno and then at the Discover Life SDA Church in Sonora. Heather's career took her to Loma Linda in 2016, where she started a graduate program to become a nurse practitioner. Heather graduated with her DNP from Loma Linda University in September 2021. After working as a youth pastor for six years, Tom was sponsored to attend Andrews Adventist University Seminary to complete his Master's of Divinity. He enjoyed connecting with his peers, learning practical things from his professors, and participating in sports again. In the summer of 2022, Heather and Tom helped staff the Teen Bible Academy program in the Central California Conference. From there, she moved to Cresent City to start working in a rural health clinic. Heather enjoyed connecting with her patients and helping them make healthy lifestyle changes. Heather moved back to Loma Linda in April 2023, where she transitioned to working on a mobile medical unit that helps expand access to healthcare. Tom graduated from Andrews Adventist University in August 2023 after completing a practicum in Clinical Pastoral Education in Fresno, California. He then accepted a call to the Oregon Conference to serve as an associate pastor and school chaplain. He enjoys engaging with the kids to help them develop new skills and grow in their spiritual walk.

Tom and Heather had been acquainted for some time. They even started "talking" for a month or so in 2017. On paper, they were a good match even then. However, they decided that there were reasons not to pursue a romantic relationship at that time and parted amicably. Fast forward five years, and Heather and Tom's paths crossed again. When Tom saw Heather's name on the staff list for Teen Bible Academy in the summer of 2022, he thought, "I wonder if it will be awkward?" Then he began reminiscing about times past. He wondered how Heather was doing. What had she been up to these past five years? Had it really been five years? Wow!  Heather, too, was apprehensive when she saw Tom's name on the staff list. 'I hope it isn't awkward,' she thought. Her worries were put to rest when Tom sought her out in the kitchen at the first in-person staff meeting. His friendly and caring demeanor reassured her, 'Good, we can still be friends.' She didn't know that Tom was nervous, too. Tom sought to address it head-on. He sought her out, hoping to establish an "easy" connection. He thought there wouldn't be awkward tension if he took the initiative. He was right.  At this point, you must listen to facts and not be swept away by romantic rumors. Tom and Heather were not eyeing each other during Teen Bible Academy. However, TBA did provide a neutral space for them to see each other's personalities and characters. The friendship that was kindled became the foundational embers of their love. They connected again that summer in August when Tom was in Medford visiting his mom. Heather had recently moved to Crescent City. She only knew a few people, and Crescent City was far from everywhere. Therefore, the 2-plus hour drive to Medford feels close. Tom passed through Crescent City on his way up. To say that he was interested in Heather might be true. It would be more accurate to say that he "considered her a possibility worth exploring." What did Heather think? You will have to ask her.  Tom and Heather were different people than they were five years ago. They both felt that now the time was right for something more. Tom made one more trip up north that summer, and by the end of it, they had a heart-to-heart about their feelings. They decided to take their relationship to the next level, although they preferred to call it an 'intentional friendship' to keep things comfortable. After this trip, Tom asked Heather if he could call her, and they began talking most days. 

As time passed, their connection deepened. Heather and Tom found joy in sharing their lives over the phone and through FaceTime calls. Tom's move back to Michigan for his final year at Andrews University to complete his master's degree didn't hinder their bond. In fact, it only made them appreciate their conversations more.  Their next opportunity to see each other was in October. Tom was invited to a wedding in the Pacific Northwest, and he asked Heather to be his plus one. This brought up the conversation, "How do we introduce each other?" Tom told Heather that he appreciated her very much and would be honored to call her his girlfriend. After giving it some thought, she said that that would be acceptable.  Heather and Tom saw each other about once a month that first semester. Tom came west for a long weekend. With that, the wedding, and the holidays, Heather and Tom were growing closer and closer.  Because most of their dating was over the phone, there is little interesting to tell. They talked and talked. They found games that they could play remotely. They cooked together and even had a pumpkin-carving date. You should ask them for some pictures.  The second semester was much the same as the first. They saw each other a little less than before. Heather visited twice: once in the winter and once for Tom's graduation. After graduation, they took a road trip, where they enjoyed many adventures. They went to the Ohio warbler festival, where Heather realized that birding was the second love of her life and committed to spending every waking moment birding (that may be an overstatement, but she at least had fun). They also visited friends and family as they drove across the country, visiting iconic places such as Mt. Rushmore and Yellowstone National Park. They knew a road trip would either deepen their relationship or ruin it. I'll let you guess what happened. 

The summer flew by. They spent more time together than ever before. Tom was working as a Chaplain at the Kaiser Hospital in Fresno, CA, and by now, Heather had moved back to Loma Linda. A 4.5-hour drive made weekend visits a reality and a blessing.  On one such occasion, Tom took Heather to a secluded park by the river just outside Fresno. There, they picnicked and relaxed in the cool shade by the water. It was very romantic. Tom told Heather that he was starting to think about marriage. This made Heather nervous and excited. However, she was not ready to talk about such things. She needed more time to get used to the idea.  So they spent more time together either in person or on the phone. Summer moved to fall, and fall came around to another winter. By now, Tom was confident that they would be married. It was a matter of when not if. He accepted a position as a school chaplain and youth pastor at the Hood View church in Boring, Oregon (any joke you can make about the town he has probably heard, but he will be a good sport if you still want to make it). He knew he needed to take care of business before moving out of California.  In this case, business is talking to her parents, not proposing. Don't get ahead of yourself. It took a few tries, but he scheduled a time to meet with them. After a "good long conversation," they offered their blessing and said they were happy for them.  Tom had decided that marriage was a good idea, but much like Tango, it takes two. Heather was not ready. She was pretty sure that she wanted to marry Tom someday, but she saw no reason to rush things. Tom was not quite sure where Heather was at. He wanted to marry her, and he thought that if he asked, she would probably say yes. With that thought in mind, he began making preparations.  No sooner did Tom get everything ready than they had a conversation (quite by accident, to tell the truth) in which Heather declared in no uncertain terms that she was not ready to get engaged. It also became clear that Heather didn't like surprise proposals. She wanted to have time to make an informed decision.  What did they do? Are Tom's preparations going to be wasted? This accidental conversation may sound like a disaster, but it was not. Heather expressed a few things that made her nervous to take that big step. As is often the case, open and candid conversation leads to resolution. Over the next week and a half, they had many discussions about marriage or being married. It seemed to just keep coming up. How would you do this? What would that be like? They had lots of things to talk about. During one such conversation, Tom observed that Heather was using language more like "when we are married" instead of "if we are married." He reflected that back to her, and she agreed. He asked her if she was open to getting engaged, and after a pause that felt like an eternity to Tom, she said that she would be.  Wooo hooo! The door was open! Tom had only two weeks. If he wanted to save the preparations that he had made, he would have to propose in two weeks. Tom had Heather get her finger sized that Sunday. He spent the weekend scouring the reaches of the internet for the perfect ring. He found it! But, it had to be specially ordered. Would it get there in time? That answer is part of another story.

It was a blustery day at the coast. He had one shot at this. A lifetime of training and preparation all came down to this one moment. . . It is game time. OK, it wasn't quite that dramatic, but it felt like it. Heather was coming up to visit Tom, and he knew that this was the time. He was pondering the question, "How do I do this? Should we head to the mountains and find a beautiful waterfall? Maybe I should make it easy and propose when I pick her up from the airport? Or how about the coast? There's something irresistible about a sunset at the coast." Unfortunately, the weather was not in his favor. The last two weeks had been nothing but beautiful sunshine. This weekend, however, had a high of 50 and nothing but rain. He decided the coast would be best as the rain was a little less in that direction, and you could enjoy the coast, even if you're just sitting under a canopy. Yes, this is going to be perfect: a walk along trails on the beautiful Oregon coast, tide pooling, and a sunset at Cannon Beach. The more he thought about it, the more he liked it. It helped that Cannon Beach was one of Heather's favorite places. The day came. It was May 4, 2024. After church, they had a lovely meal with friends, packed a supper, and headed for the coast. They had fun exploring some of the trails in Ecola State Park. Eventually, they found their way down a rather slippery, muddy trail and landed on a beach. The next hour or two was spent exploring the tidepools and enjoying the serene mystery of the north Pacific Coast. Fog and mist rolled through sometimes, sometimes raining, sometimes not, and all along, the waves kept rolling in and crashing on the black rocks. Time marched on, and the tide was coming in. Tom was nervous and ready to get down to business. They found a covered area and brought out the food. This was the moment. Tom produced a photo book that he had made for her. It was a story, their story, a chronicle of their relationship. It told of their meeting and their dating. They laughed and reminisced about the memories over the last 18 months. On the final page, the story told how Tom took Heather to a beautiful location, got down on one knee, and asked, Will you marry me? As it was in the book, so Tom did. The book, however, ended there. Heather expanded the story as she said, "Yes!"