Zack and I met on September 18, 2022, on the morning of the very first service for the church plant we had both moved to Washington, D.C., to be a part of. We were each taking a leap of faith, stepping into a new chapter of our lives. That day, our first encounter was nothing out of the ordinary—we were introduced by mutual friends and asked to pass out communion cups together. Over the next few months, we saw each other regularly, exchanging warm smiles and easy conversation at the many weekly church events. A natural banter formed, and before I even realized it, I found myself scanning the room for Zack Walters whenever we gathered. It wasn’t until I went home to visit my family that Zack reached out—he had noticed I wasn’t there one Sunday and sent a simple, genuine text to check in. In that moment, his intentions became clear: he noticed, he cared, and he always has. From that text on, we never stopped talking. When I returned to D.C., we made plans for dinner. I picked a sushi restaurant (which, if you really know Zack, is a huge green flag). That night was full of laughter, effortless conversation, and stories about the people we love. Any hesitation we had going in melted away. That first date with Zack was so refreshing—he was an open book, one I couldn’t (and still haven’t) wanted to stop reading. Our love story truly began on a dock in the marina, surrounded by the hallmark-esque charm of Old Town, Alexandria. Just a couple of months later, we made it official—and the rest is history.