[From the perspective of James]

In January 2015, I decided to attend the Virginia Catholic Campus Ministry retreat known as Summit, the largest such event in Virginia with a regular attendance of 800+ students. On the final night of the retreat, dinner was planned at a dining hall located half a mile from the church.

As I began my walk from the church to the dining hall, it was difficult not to notice the weather. The sun had gone down, the temperature was mid-20's, and there was a strong, steady breeze. As I reached the main road, I noticed a shivering girl with a light coat; her teeth were chattering. Also, she was kind of cute. I decided to approach the girl and offered her my coat. She looked relieved and accepted it graciously. We made small talk for the rest of the walk until we reached the dining hall. I learned that she, like me, was a Virginia Tech student. Her name was Alex Sykes.

Alex and I returned to school as acquaintances, but did not interact regularly for several years. Over those years, Alex and I would have a few more interactions. First, I heard that Alex got a new puppy. I dropped everything to run over and play with her new dog, Cassie. It must have made an impression, because Cassie loves me to this day. Another time, I complimented Alex's sea turtle sweat pants that read "turtley awesome" on them, much to her excitement.

Eventually, in summer 2017, Alex and I had a chance to know each other better. Alex was living with a good friend of mine from high school, Rachel (now her maid of honor). Rachel shared an interest in horror movies and we would regularly get together when a good horror movie came out. I came over for our horror movie tradition and Alex decided to join us.

In the fall, Alex and I started to talk every day until our first date, a Virginia Tech Hockey game in November 2017. Almost three years after giving my jacket to a cold girl on a Catholic retreat, we started dating. The rest is history.

Photos

The Proposal

Engagement Photos

Special Moments Over The Past 3 Years