COVID-19 Update: Celebration Postponed (See Below)

Though absolutely heartbreaking, given the current climate in Dallas/the world, we have made the unfortunate decision to postpone our larger celebration & all wedding-related events until further notice. The city of Dallas is barring all large gatherings & shuttering businesses, with no certainty to when life will return to normal. This decision was made after careful consideration of the city ordinances & safety of our guests. Once Jacob matches into his residency program (on March 20), we know where we will be living in two months (not stressful at all...), & Jacob is given his schedule for after July 2020, we will pick a date to celebrate with you! We truly appreciate your support! Stay safe out there.

Jacob & Haley met while studying at Xavier University in Cincinnati, Ohio. Jacob was a sophomore & Haley a first year when they both signed up to be group leaders during a Xavier service event called Community Action Day. They were paired up to co-lead a group, which for some reason was disbanded prior to the service event, so they didn’t really meet until they were both accepted as Brueggeman Fellows later that year. This fellowship was a year-long independent study, capped by a solo trip in a country of each fellow’s choice. During the 2014-2015 academic year, Haley & Jacob got to know each other better through the meetings for the fellowship. As a part of the program, each fellow had to present on his or her topic of research, while also providing a meal to share during the discussion. Haley distinctly remembers being impressed that Jacob, a 20 year-old male college student, could make rice on the stove. That summer, while Jacob was in Peru & Haley in Costa Rica, Haley & Jacob talked A LOT. Like every-time-they-had-WiFi a lot. Traveling completely alone in a foreign country was difficult in many ways, so they were happy to be able to relate so well to each other and share in the daily struggles & joys of being abroad. They both have always said they couldn’t have made it through that summer without each other. After returning from their respective trips (Jacob’s senior year, Haley’s junior year), Jacob & Haley were involved in a faith & justice-oriented discussion group called Contemplatives in Action, where they met weekly & had tough talks about everything from religion to politics to discernment. They also hung out a lot, making trips to Xavier’s beloved bar, Dana’s, and still cooking meals together with a few other friends. After Jacob graduated, he moved back to Dallas to start medical school, & Haley went on her merry way, gearing up for her last year at Xavier.

Around November 2016, Haley reached out to Jacob again. She was going to Peru for spring break on a service-learning trip & had been assigned to stay with the same family that hosted Jacob during his trip in 2015. A few months later in June 2017, after lots of “catching up” phones calls with Haley and encouragement from other people, Jacob decided that he would fly to Cincinnati from Dallas to tell Haley he had a crush on her (a crush he had had for awhile…). Haley was very excited to see Jacob, but was confused as to why Jacob wanted to spend practically every waking moment of his short trip with her, which included helping Haley build a bookshelf and run errands. After a mini hiking trip, Jacob spilled the beans. Haley was quite taken aback, though impressed with Jacob’s bravery. Regardless, as a little plot twist, Haley told Jacob she was too overwhelmed with graduating college and starting work to consider a new relationship. Haley dropped Jacob off at his friend’s house, & they parted ways, both quite exasperated. That being said, Haley just couldn’t stay away! Much to Jacob’s confusion, Haley asked Jacob to breakfast the next day before he was due back at CVG to catch a flight. Long story short, Haley & Jacob kept texting and calling at regular intervals, leading up to a whirlwind decision for Haley to visit Dallas in July 2017. That weekend, after much discussion, it was decided - Jacob & Haley as a couple was TOO good of a thing to NOT happen! Even though it was long distance from the start, Haley & Jacob were confident they could make it work - after all, their very close friendship had been built on deep, meaningful conversation and communicating across continents. The long-distance thing FINALLY ended when Haley moved to Dallas in December 2018. Haley, Jacob, Haley’s dad, and Haley’s cat drove from Cincinnati, Ohio, all the way to Dallas, Texas, on December 20, 2018. Haley is very happy to be a Texan, but even happier to finally be close to Jacob.

By the time Haley decided to move to Dallas, Jacob & Haley both knew that things were going to be very serious. Of course, they had talked about getting married & were on the same page about spending their lives together, but after Haley moved to Dallas, Jacob needed to figure out how to make the proposal really happen. Jacob thought long & hard about what to do to make the proposal something really special for Haley. He decided that it would be fun to surprise her at Thanksgiving Chapel, a small, beautiful interfaith quiet space in the heart of downtown Dallas that has an amazing stained glass ceiling & is surrounded by quotes about giving thanks. Jacob liked the idea not only because of the emphasis on thanksgiving, but also because this was the first place he took Haley when she visited Dallas the first time. Jacob also loves to play his guitar, & he had written a song for Haley that he thought would be special to play for her right before he proposed. With the plan in mind, Jacob had to decide how to pull it all off. At the beginning of April 2019, Haley’s mom was planning on visiting Dallas, so Jacob thought that would be the perfect time to have the proposal. Finally, the big day came around! Haley & her mom were planning on walking around downtown Dallas the morning of the proposal; however, the weather was not cooperating that day. Haley and her mom went downtown & five minutes after getting to the start of their walk, it began pouring! They ran back to the car, drove around, & found a cute little coffee shop, where Haley’s mom stalled for a bit. Meanwhile, Jacob’s mom dropped him off at the chapel. He set up his guitar, texted Haley’s mom, & waited. Eventually, Haley & her mom were able to park & come inside, where Jacob was ready to play his song for Haley and propose! Haley was totally surprised! Afterwards, Jacob, Haley, & their moms went to Mi Lindo Oaxaca to get some authentic Oaxacan food and celebrate!