We cannot wait to celebrate with you!

Three years ago, God quietly began writing our story in the most unexpected place—our workplace. He joined our teaching team as a new addition, and from the very beginning, it was anything but a fairytale meeting. In fact, for the first six weeks, we barely spoke more than a few words. I was shy, and he was navigating a path he never imagined for himself. What started as polite distance turned into friendship, shaped by shared days and our light-hearted and tormenting personalities. I, of course, believed we were simply becoming great work friends—completely unaware of what was unfolding. Meanwhile, friends and family seemed to notice something I didn’t, often hinting that we might be something more. I brushed it off every time. To me, that idea felt far out of reach. He, however, was persistent. He would invite me to spend time together, and I would always find a reason to say no, afraid that saying yes might mean something I wasn’t ready to face. One day, he didn’t give me a choice—he invited (or rather, required) me to go deer hunting. What began as a simple outing turned into two more, and somewhere along the way, my heart began to see what my mind had not. I fell for him because of the quiet, steady ways he showed up—through the way he leads with faith, his deep love for God, his patience, and his constant, unwavering support. It was not long before I realized that he was always meant to be the one that would be by my side through all my days, bringing love and laughter into my life while learning how to become better servants of Christ. ~ Maddie From the moment I laid eyes on her, I knew there was something special about her. The way she carried herself… the way she spoke. I couldn’t quite put my finger on what it was but I knew that she was someone I wanted to get to know. I do believe that the first month of us working together, we might have spoken a total of six words to each other. Partly do the fact that I was “intimidating” and partly to the fact that I thought she did not want anything to do with me. After our first semester of teaching together, we developed a friendship that blossomed through professionalism. The next year to follow, I pursued this newly found friendship with countless offers to go get burgers and drinks. Madison was always down for a hang out… until our co-workers backed out! I didn’t let this get me down though, I spent many quiet evenings enjoying burgers and beers by myself. Although I was never able to get her to hang out outside of work, our friendship through work turned from good to great. Many miles and many hours were spent on road trips hauling kids to and from contests laughing and learning everything we could about each other. At no surprise to anyone, I had caught feelings and was falling in love. Madison had often mentioned the fact that she wanted to go on a deer hunt. Being the best outdoorsman I know… I offered multiple times to take her out with me. Growing tired of the wild goose chase, I walked in to the office one day and told her, “I’ve got camo in the pickup, you’re going hunting with me, lets go.” If I had only known it would be that easy to get her to go with me, I would have done it long ago. That was the night I fell in love with her. We had an enjoyable evening in the blind and had our first date that ended with a fortune cookie from Panda Express. After a year and a half, and three shot down professions of my love for her… I finally wore her down. And to this day, it has been the best thing to ever happen to me. ~ Stephen