In April 2020 when the whole world shut down Will and I decided to download a little app called Bumble. A true modern romance. From our first conversation we just felt like our conversations were natural. The statements were true that your person often comes when you least expect it. We always have found it a true testament to God's timing and not ours that we met our person during a time when the world was preaching for everyone to stay apart.

Shortly after we decided to go on our first date. That morning I put on a cute outfit and was ready to go and in true teacher fashion checked my email. UNC Charlotte decided moments before I got picked up for our first date in person was the best time to break the news of my pending acceptance into their grad school program.

I opened the email and I had gotten into my graduate certification program that morning minutes before he came to pick me up. I ditched the cute outfit I had on and like a true dork threw my UNC Charlotte shirt on and called my mom. I told her "wouldn't it be cool if today was the day I got into grad school and met my future husband?" God had great things in store for me that day and I thank Him for it daily.

Will came to pick me up and was a champ handling my excitement and 100 mph chats about getting into grad school. His thoughtfulness and intentionality shined through our first date. Once getting in his truck he had the song "Emily" by Frank Sinatra playing and took me for a drive from Wilmington to Oak Island. Not without stopping at Chick-fil-A first.....another major score in his book! Nothing was open, there were no elaborate activities but the car ride was the start of our journey in life together!

Throughout the 4 years dating prior to our engagement Will has always been by my side pushing me to be brave and try new things. We have been travel buddies, experienced career changes, and navigating the crazy world we live in together while trying to figure out our place in this world!

I showed Will the more gentle sides of life. Enjoying the simple things, celebrations, shopping, shopping, and more shopping, and beach days. We always say our differences truly push each other to be better people and we hope our relationship points people to the ultimate relationship of our Lord and Savior and His relationship to His "bride" the church.

Our hope in this life together is to continue to seek God, His will, and do what we are meant to do on this earth for all the days we have together. We thank the Lord for the gift of a lifelong companion and we pray our love flows into our community and points people not to us but to Christ.

We look forward to experiencing the wonderful gift of first and foremost our Salvation and eternal life. But also the gift of marriage that God has given us to represent our relationship with Him.

Thank you to our friends and family over the years and for the years to come for all your support, We love you all so much and can't wait to celebrate together!

John 4:16: "God is love, and whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in them".

Colossians 3:14: "And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony".

1 Corinthians 13:4-7 - Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.

With love,

Emily and Will

Registry

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