We're Getting Married!

Having grown up together at Jaffrey Bible Church, we saw each other plenty in passing and knew the other's name, played in the AWANA games together, and even ended up being Adam and Eve somehow in a Christmas cantata, despite both of us being shy introverts. But it wasn't until William's senior year of high school that we started to become friends. Audrey was the first to strike up a conversation at youth group (it was about space because she thought he was a space nerd), and it wasn't long before literally everyone but us thought we were dating. 😆

For our first date, we went to the Bagel Mill in Peterborough. I (William) had never been, but it turned out to be a wonderful little restaurant that we still frequently visit. After ordering, we sat down and started chatting. We talked about our interests, I kept admiring her smile, she got me to eat the plant that was sitting next to us on the windowsill (I think it was parsley), and we ended up sitting there until they closed. We have since claimed the bench out front and have had many of our most silly, deep, and important conversations while sitting there.

Our engagement wasn't overly fancy or spectacular, but it certainly was quite a task to pull off! A group of close friends and family gathered at the Vandyke's pond to pack supplies into canoes. We paddled out to a small island at the center where we decorated a small gazebo with string lights, hot cocoa, and some music from a hidden speaker. There were some close calls and mishaps getting in and out of the canoe (sorry Nicole!) but when the time came, I paddled out with Audrey on a cold, windy, dreary day to the island where Nicole was hiding with a camera to capture the moment. We enjoyed the hot cocoa and chatted briefly before I got on one knee and popped the question. Audrey already knew what I was going to ask her about 15 minutes before we arrived (cuz she's smart like that), but the 'how' was a total surprise, and it was a lovely memory.