Can you tell that I wasn’t sold? In my defense, I really needed to pass that chemistry final. But don’t worry! It only took three months for me to catch up :) and a very good thing about Jake is that his love is very patient. And he was patient with me from the start, even sitting through whole loop laps of silence while I contemplated what one word answer I would give to a question that really wasn’t that deep (later we established some Rules of Communication).

Fortunately, we have made it past the awkwardness of silent car rides, first dates, and freshman year. Jake is patient and he is kind, and he finally threw away those basketball shorts he’d had since the 8th grade. Since February 4th of 2022, we have driven to get him a puppy, gone on a lot of walks, hiked through the canyon a couple times, survived long distance, almost made it through college, eaten a lot of pesto and pasta, and grown to love Jesus and each other more.

So October 14th, after he made me a cheesecake in reference of the Cheesecake Incident of 2022 and asked me to marry him, I said yes.

We are so thankful for the community who have walked with us along the way. Thank you for how you have pointed us towards God and His teachings of repentance, love, and grace. Thank you for reminding us that we are fighting on the same team and that love is a choice every day. And thank you now for coming to celebrate the next steps of life with us as I get to marry my best friend, and Jake his. We can’t wait to see you there :)

Thank you so much for your gift and for investing in our home and future together!