Hello. This is Gabe speaking. I was informed that I am to be the one to share the tale of how Lauren and I met and eventually fell in love. It's better this way honestly, Lauren tends to forget the tiny details that matter in a story, especially one as intricate as ours. So now, this is how it all began.

Seventh grade, a year most of us remember as the awkward phase of life. When we all were getting our teeth straightened by braces, pimples, and the start of when boys begin to notice girls and vice versa. It was also the year that most people are officially out of the kid classes in church, and can finally join the youth group. That's when Lauren and I met. During the Christmas break of our seventh grade year, CUMC (Cabot United Methodist Church) took a trip to New Orleans, Louisiana to help those affected by Hurricane Katrina. One of our mutual friends, Allison, and I were texting and she told me that she had a good friend who was coming on the trip and her name was Lauren. The day we left, we all loaded up in the church van. I still remember when Lauren sat in the van next to Allison. She looked like the typical 13 year old girl who played sports, but even then I could tell there was something special about her. She was shy at first, but it didn't take long for her to come out of her shell. If you don't know anything about CUMC, just know they are some really great people and a little looney. It was an easy place to just be yourself and not have to worry about all of life's expectations. Before we even reached New Orleans, we were basically best friends.

Two years later and a couple more trips to New Orleans, we started ninth grade. One Wednesday, I walked into youth and saw Lauren laying down on a couch with one leg propped up on the side and a seven pound bag of ice wrapped around her ankle. Lauren was hit in the ankle by a shot put while raking the pit at an event she was volunteering at. The girl who hit her was a seventh grader. If it was a regulated sporting event it would have broken the record for distance for a girl in her age group. I'm not sure why Lauren decided she needed to go to church that evening, but I am glad she did. I went over to talk to her, and before I knew it we talked for a couple hours. That's when I realized that this girl who I thought was just a really good friend, was actually the type of girl who I should be chasing after. She was smart, funny, beautiful, everyone loved her. I started to text her after that, and surprisingly she texted me back. We were dating within a month.

Lauren and I dated all throughout high school and college. We spent a little time apart trying to figure out ourselves and life. We have both always known that we are best friends, but were we meant to spend the rest of our lives with each other? I wish I could tell you it was love at first sight, or that we knew the whole time we were dating that this was the person I am going to spend the rest of my life with. What I can tell you this. We have been friends for a long time, and after a couple of years just as friends realized that we actually might be more. After years of dating and growing up, I've come to find that she's more than just my best friend. She's my biggest fan, she's the one that I can always count on, she's the first one I run to when I have good news, and the first one I want to hug when something bad happens. Our story is not your typical high school sweetheart, Lauren is a strong independent woman who knew exactly what she wanted and went to go get it, and did not take no for an answer. I am just glad she chose me, because without her I wouldn't be where I am today.

L&G

Wedding Day

Reception