After growing up states away from one another, Hunter and I officially met in an audition room for the Overflow Worship band at Word of Life Bible Institute in August 2018. Even though we weren’t close, most of our memories from that year include each other somehow. Between breakfast shifts, seating assignments, band rehearsals, tours, and eventually becoming brother and sister RA in the Spring of 2019, we seemed to always be in the same room together looking back. In the Fall of 2019, Hunter stayed with WOL by joining the alumni band and I headed off to Chicago to start my degree at Moody Bible Institute. Having developed a crush at this point, Hunter did his best to make sure I remembered him by occasionally messaging me and even telling me one time he “dug my new haircut”. Super smooth. The pandemic canceled a lot in 2020, including my internship, so I decided to go back to Word of Life and work at a summer camp where we reconnected. He was cuter than I had remembered, but I quickly shut down any teasing since I refused to entertain the idea of a long distance relationship. In June, we went on an evening walk where Hunter made his move and told me he liked me. I froze and said the first thing that came to my mind - “no”. Brutal, I know. Desperate to move past the awkwardness, I kept asking Hunter to hang out the rest of Summer. To my surprise (and no one else’s), I slowly felt my heart change towards him. When camp was shut down due to a Covid outbreak, Hunter mustered the courage to ask me to re-evaluate my answer on our final walk, promising me he would do everything he could to make distance work for us. It was the reassurance I needed, and I said “I would pray about it.” Not as brutal of an answer this time. I started my road trip back to the Midwest that next morning, and our long distance journey immediately began. Over the last four years, we have stumbled alongside each other through the hardest years of our lives. Oftentimes, these seasons have delayed our hopeful “timeline”, but I’m so thankful for the extra years of singleness and distance that have allowed us to invest in others and our families well before starting our own someday. We are grateful for how these four years have shaped who we are today and allowed our love to grow despite all odds. Hunter’s presence has brought joy and laughter into my life, and I am so thankful we get to stumble alongside each other for the rest of our days. We are so excited to celebrate this long-awaited day with you - get ready to party!!