This is one of the funniest and most ironic stories I have to tell to date! It all started on the campus of Berea College in Berea, KY. Certainly not an original start, that’s for sure. The dining hall, to make things even better! Aaron was on serving duty, required to wear a name tag and hat. Of course, being the girl I am, I know not a stranger, ESPECIALLY if that stranger and I share a name! So that was the first introduction – me hollering out, from a reasonable distance, “Hey! We have the same name.”

I wish I could say the rest was history… but there is always so much more!

Anyway, time passed, we hardly had any contact until one evening. One of my good friends and I decided to catch up for a much-needed conversation post winter-break, when the tall, bearded guy with the same name as I somehow matches our stride just outside of the dining hall. Me, trying to keep things as less awkward as possible, I start chatting with him, asking him how he’s doing, yada yada… As we get closer to the dining hall, I cannot find a way to let this random guy go so my friend and I can chat in peace, and it doesn’t look like he’s planning on going anywhere so I ask the dreaded question, “are you sitting with anyone?” Turns out he wasn’t. This is where the irony comes in. That dinner was actually more intriguing than I would have ever anticipated. Aaron kept talking, and if you know anything about Aaron, that is his superpower (lol). He kept bringing up topics that were interesting to me and the next thing I knew, the conversation continued even as we were walking out, up until we had to part ways to our respective evening plans. We somehow left off on the topic of the new Spider-Man movie that had been released, and we had somehow planned up an outing to see the movie the next evening, even though he had already seen it once. (Another ironic moment coming up) I agreed, knowing I would likely ask for a raincheck, but as the next morning rolled around, I was actually excited to go see this movie with a person I hardly knew! I shocked myself that day, and I couldn’t be more grateful for following my gut, to take a chance on a guy with the same name as mine.

Since then, laughter is never too far from our ever-intriguing conversations. He made me laugh on our first unofficial date and he has yet to not make me laugh 3 years later. He took a chance on me just as I on him, which makes this wedding all the more sweet.

The next thing I knew, we were picking out a ring and on a spontaneous North Carolina trip to start off our summer, Aaron, with the help of his awesome mom, shocked me to oblivion when he pulled the ring out his pocket on a random waterfall right off the Blue Ridge Parkway. What made the moment even more literally divine, happened to be after we were able to have our moment in peace, about 200 ft behind us, in perfect view of the waterfall, a couple of hikers shout “WOOOO! WE CAUGHT IT ON CAMERA!” So not only did we get to have the moment to ourselves, to our knowledge, we actually got photos of it from some strangers who happened to be in the right place at the right time.

Our story never fails to remind me to have hope, take risks, and, most importantly, trust in God’s timing. He has so much in store for us if we only just take the time to listen and don’t be afraid to jump in. Here’s to so much more jumping with Aaron by my side.

*I did try swimming, but it was too cold! So, yes, I am wearing a bathing suit in this photo lol"

It was on the day that I moved back to college for my first spring semester that the rest of my life would change, although I did not know it at the time. I drove myself to school and got settled into my dorm room just in time to go to dinner. I remember calling home to let my parents know that I had made it safely and as I sat there, I thought to myself, “I can’t wait to see what this spring semester will bring.” I went to the dining hall and as I walked in; I turned to my right and saw a familiar face. It was a girl that shared my name that I briefly met in the fall semester, Erin. As we looked at one another she said hello and said that If I wasn’t planning on sitting with anyone that I could join her and a friend at a table in the back of the room. This was surprising to me as we only knew of each other because of the small nature of our school, yet we weren’t really acquainted. The next forty-five minutes were her and I chatting as her friend sat there and probably felt like a third wheel to this stranger, me. It was incredible how much we had in common and how much we loved to talk. I found out that she loved to play golf and that she was learning violin. We commented on how we had the same name and how funny it was, as neither of us had known too many “Aarons/Erins” growing up. As her friend and her went to leave, I thought to myself that I needed to find a way to ask this girl out for a date. I brought up the new Spiderman movie that had just come out the month prior and to my surprise, she hadn’t seen it! So, I said that if she wanted to hang out some time, we could go to the Richmond movie theater and catch a showing of it. She said that would be great, but in a way that made me question whether she was truly interested or if she was just being polite. We exchanged snapchats, so not to the level of anything like asking for a phone number. To my surprise, when I got back to my room, she sent me the first message! It was a song link and she said that she thought I would like it. It was funny to me that someone who really only had talked to me that night would be so confident in guessing my music taste. The next morning came, and it was surprisingly a weekend that I had moved in, so I decided to message Erin to see If she would be interested in seeing the movie. She mentioned that she was in a café doing some reading but that I could come join her. I know it sounds corny, but I still remember feeling like my life’s movie was starting

when I went to open the café’s door and I heard the bell ring to signal someone was coming in. I went to the back and found Erin, sitting there writing notes and reading. I sat down and felt so insecure because the most beautiful girl was sitting across from me, and she told me that she’d love to go with me to the movies. The word “date” was never officially used, but I consider it looking back as the best first date ever. I remember driving home and her blaring music and singing while the sun was setting, so as to get me to sing along with her. I took her back to her dorm and walked her to the entrance as she told me

that she would love to do this again some time. I was left in a shellshock, feeling that after only one unofficial date that I was in the midst of falling in love for someone that I barely knew. It was an indescribable feeling that when I think back on it, still hits me like a freight train. It has been two and a half years since that cold January day and that feeling has only grown more and more day after day. I am excited to see how that feeling will continue to grow as the years go on, together with her.

P.S. And no, it will never “get old” sharing the same name. Funny enough, when I hear someone call out “Aaron/Erin”, I always think of her first :)