Josh and I first met in the fall of 2020, my sophomore year at Northwestern and his fifth year for football. I honestly didn't know who he was before some of my friends and I were talking with him and some of his friends after church one Sunday. Later that day, I saw Josh in the cafeteria from across the way, with his head bowed, praying before he ate. Although I've never been one to shoot my shot when it came to a guy, I Snapchatted Josh later that day and told him how attractive it was to see a guy pray before his meal since you don't see that very often. And that was the start of it all. We snapped back and forth for about a month, and hung out a few times. Knowing that Josh would be graduating that coming spring, our time together didn't last long, as we were both at different points in our lives.

Fast forward a little less than a year, Josh had graduated and moved out to Pennsylvania to start his time as a Graduate Assistant football coach. Between the fall of 2020 and this point, I'd like to say I got over him, but if you ask any of my roommates, they'll quickly tell you otherwise ;) Josh and I talked for a few months while he was out east, but then decided again that it wasn't the best timing with him not planning on coming back to Iowa anytime soon. As sad as this was, I had to trust that the Lord's timing was far better than my own.

Fast forward again to December 2021, I learned that Josh had accepted a new GA position to begin in the spring semester, this time at Northwestern. We rekindled when he moved back in January, and quickly realized that neither of us lost feelings for each other throughout the time apart. We then began dating in February 2022. As hard as the time apart was, we both learned how much we needed to rely on God's growth in each of our hearts during that time.

Since then, we have become each other's best friends. Going on walks, traveling to my hometown and his home in Washington, golfing (aka me riding in the cart to keep Josh company), going to concerts and watching movies are only a few of the things we love to do together.

This past July, Josh proposed to me on his hometown beach. I was completely caught off guard, but gave the easiest yes I have ever said. I can't imagine my life without Josh in it, and I can't wait to spend forever with him. The Lord is so good and faithful in our story, and it is such a blessing for us to see His hand at work in every single detail.

Whitney and I first met when I was senior in college and a couple mutual friends introduced us after church. Later that day, she saw me in the cafeteria and sent me a Snapchat after my friends and I had left. She commented on how she saw me pray before my meal and that sparked a conversation that would last for a couple of weeks. During that span, we had hung out twice to watch movies, but over time nothing came of it since we were both in different seasons of our lives.

After I had graduated, I took a job coaching football at a school in Pennsylvania, and during that time, Whitney had never left my mind. Every time I thought about what my future would look like with a family, it always came back to Whitney. Whitney and I began talking again while I was in Pennsylvania, but ultimately we decided that it wouldn't be best to start a relationship while apart from each other. At the end of the season, I had decided to move back to Northwestern as a Graduate Assistant.

Once I had moved back, it did not take long for me and Whitney to rekindle. It felt like we had to make up for so much lost time over the previous year. I knew right away that there was something special about her when she watched all six of the Star Wars movies with me. We continued to grow together and spent what felt like every evening together. The moment I first knew that Whitney was the one I wanted to spend the rest of my life with was when she came to Washington over Christmas break for a week. Watching how she interacted with my family and relatives was the icing on the cake.

Fast forward 7 months to our next trip to Washington, I decided that I was going to propose to Whitney and ask her to spend the rest of her life with me. I'll never forget her reaction because we had agreed on waiting until the winter to get engaged, so she was completely caught off guard. To make things even better, the first words out of her mouth were not "Yes", but "Are you sure?". I will never let her forget what her response was, because she tends to ask if "I'm sure" about a lot of things. But ultimately, I could not be more thankful for the path that God has led us down and how He has brought us together. There is no doubt in my mind that Whitney is the one I am meant be with and I cannot wait to see how God uses our relationship to impact those around us.