The story of how we met began several years before we had the chance to meet face-to-face. Joshua had just started attending Our Father Lutheran Church in Centennial, Colorado. On his first day visiting, he met a lovely lady named LaRetta who made him feel warmly welcome. As he began to attend regularly, he and LaRetta would often connect after service. After a Thanksgiving-pie potluck in November of 2021, LaRetta asked Joshua if she could introduce him to her granddaughter Sadie. In true matchmaker form, LaRetta did all of the coordinating for the chaperoned, blind first-date. In December of the same year, the three of us met at Benedicts for a brunch on a Saturday morning. Neither of us had any idea of what to expect, but we were pleasantly surprised to find that LaRetta had good taste and good genetics. After that first date, we spent time on our own to learn more about each other. By the time that February arrived, we realized that our faith and values wonderfully aligned, and there was potentially something serious between us. We spent the rest of the year growing, adventuring, and challenging each other, all while continuing to investigate what it might mean to share a life together. By mid-fall it was clear that a life together was something we both could picture and sincerely wanted. In November of 2022, Joshua proposed to Sadie and we were engaged. We are so blessed to have grown up with and to be constantly surrounded by such amazing friends and family. We are so excited to celebrate the beautiful gift of love that God has given us in each other and we hope that you all will join us, as we join our two lives together into one!