From Shanni's perspective: I moved from Rochester to the cities and quickly got connected to Park Community Church. I went to a church picnic and noticed a handsome man with a man bun grilling burgers and made a mental note of him. I never seemed to cross paths with this man until around a year later, heard that he was open to going on dates! A mutual friend connected us and Josiah reached out with a text. Josiah planned a coffee and walk first date which ended up being a freezing March morning. With warm drinks in hand we fared the blustering wind for quite some time before ending up back in the warmth of the coffee shop. One date led to the next as we found ourselves talking for hours, closing down a local bar and then a mini golf course. A few weeks later, Josiah asked me to be his girlfriend and our journey together hasn't slowed down since then. Summer was a blast as we trained for our sprint triathlons and competed together with our friends and families cheering us on. We spent the summer at our families cabins, biking around the city and growing closer to each other. In the fall, we planned some pretty fun dates for each other. In the new year, Josiah and I started talking about marriage. On April 19th, Josiah pulled off the most amazing surprise engagement. I was shocked to find a lit up archway in the yard of my family cabin. Lined with lights, pictures of us and letters, I walked down the path to meet him waiting for me on the beach, where he proposed. Our families were hiding in the cabin to celebrate. It was truly perfect and so magical! Oh, also during this time we bought a house! We closed on April 18th (note: the day before Josiah's proposal) which made it a BIG week! Josiah and I often say how grateful we are for the Lord walking us into each others lives, the ways He has grown us and taught us love and grace through dating each other and for His faithfulness as we go into marriage.