The first time we met was at a Counselor Retreat at Camp Sonrise Mountain, a church camp that we both love very much. We each had served on staff for years, just never at the same time. During this retreat we had some mutual friends, but barely spoke directly to each other. We both left the retreat thinking "they're cool.. but I'll probably never see them again.” No sparks, no big moment, just two people crossing paths.

Fast forward about a month later to June 2025, where we somehow ended up serving on staff during Jr. High Week of camp. Colt was a last minute addition to the staff, because he answered the call to serve two weeks of camp in the same summer.

And that one decision changed everything.

Over the course of that week, we went from strangers to friends (that's what worshipping God together, late night campfires, and the chaos of counseling kids in 95+ degree heat will do to you). We had no idea what God was doing in the background, but our journey was just starting.

A couple weeks later, Colt returned for Primary Week, counseling kids in grades 3-5 (which is not for the weak), and ended up as the cabin counselor for Emma’s little brother, Levi. When Levi came home, so did a note from Colt. At the bottom of the note was a line that read:

“P.S. Don’t tell Emma, but you’re my favorite Ream.”

Emma’s mom laughed and sent her a photo of it (shout out to Heather for playing matchmaker).

Emma got Colt’s number from a friend—purely for confrontation purposes, of course. Because obviously, she is the best Ream, and saying otherwise is just wrong.

What started as a joking text turned into a conversation... then more conversations... and then daily facetimes.

Fast forward a year later, and Colt proposed at the very same place our story had begun.

A simple camp friendship became the beginning of something much bigger—something we never saw coming, but can now clearly see had God’s fingerprints all over it.