It all began in the most fitting of places for God to bring the two of us together. There are matches "made in heaven." Ours was a match made in the house of the Lord! Kerry had attended Willamette Christian Center all his life. For Jacqueline, it had been two years.

Kerry and Jacqueline first met in a church class they were both taking, where they began getting to know each other. As their friendship grew, Kerry joined a small group led by Jacqueline which met weekly.

Friends began to notice that Kerry repeatedly chose to sit next to Jacqueline in the Sunday morning church services. He was drawn to her warm-hearted, loving nature and it was a pleasure just being around her. Eyes were watching and hopeful looks were exchanged!

Jacqueline tried flirting with Kerry, but that went undetected on his radar. She had been hoping that Kerry would ask her out for quite some time. Kerry's "aha" moment came when he was having dinner with a friend. He thought to himself, "I'd rather be sitting here with Jacqueline!" Her patient waiting was finally rewarded when Kerry asked her out on a dinner date. Their destination was The Old Spaghetti Factory at its new location, where the Oregon Electric Station used to be. Jacqueline's best friend, Stacey, helped her decide on the perfect outfit.....a pretty pink blouse, jeans, and wedges.

Since then, Jacqueline and Kerry have enjoyed a phenomenal year of dating! Kerry has turned into one of Jacqueline's best friends. Some of their activities together have included trying a variety of restaurants, going to movies in the theater, hiking, kayaking, and so much more. They discovered that they enjoy many of the same things, and learned that they also enjoy activities which would not be a first choice for one of them--simply because they enjoy each other's company.

On December 12th, 2024, Kerry and Jacqueline went to Kerry's house after enjoying an evening Christmas parade in Veneta. It was there that Kerry got down on one knee, asked her to marry him, opened the ring box, and explained the meaning behind the design he had chosen. There are vines on the band, on either side of the diamond. The vines represent that Jesus is The Vine. Jacqueline looked into Kerry's dreamy brown eyes and with her biggest smile which lights up his life, she said, "Yes, Babe, of course!" Then the two went back and forth, saying "Thank you" to each other for choosing one another! A few days later, Jacqueline gave Kerry the wedding band she had chosen and purchased long before. She wanted it to be known that he, too, was taken! Inside Kerry's wedding band is the inscription, "Jacqueline's Heart."

We set our wedding date as March 1st, 2025, not even realizing at the time that it will be exactly one year to the day from our very first date.

"Kerry is truly my Boaz." ~ Jacqueline Welch

"Jacqueline is my Treasure." ~ Kerry Smith

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