“I thank my God every time I think of you.” Philippians 1:3

Brad and Kristen met in February of 2018 at a Christian small group made up of friends in the Bristol, TN area. Kristen had just moved back home after living in Texas for a few years, while Brad has roots here that are generations deep. They went to the same high school, had mutual connections, and yet their paths never crossed til that first group meeting. Despite immediate interest in each other, Brad was very careful to treat Kristen like any other friend in the group, and Kristen was under the impression that Brad had a crush on her sister, who he had been texting nonstop as his wing-woman since the first night he saw Kristen. Fast-forward to mid-April and it was finally revealed that Brad hadn’t been texting her sister because he liked her, but as a way to get to know Kristen. After the next group night, Brad texted Kristen himself and they ended up spending the whole night on the phone. It was a conversation full of whispered laughs and racing heartbeats, and toying with the idea of meeting at the waffle house so they wouldn’t have to say goodbye. After about a week they went on their first date. By date three Brad accidentally said “I love you” and had to cover it up - it was just a slip of the tongue, nothing more. A couple weeks after that, Kristen made the same mistake and blurted out “I love you” to Brad. It was too soon for I love you’s, they barely knew each other...but it was one of those things - “When you know, you know.” They had talked about getting married early on in dating and so it was no surprise when Brad proposed, but Kristen cried for an hour anyway. He kept things simple and sweet and it was a beautiful, happy night. Now, they are getting ready to spend the rest of their lives together, in unity with Christ, and there are not enough words to express the thankfulness and joy they feel in that knowledge. Admittedly, preparing for the wedding may have been a little stressful, but preparing for the marriage has been the greatest blessing.