holy matrimony! ! !

I first knew Aidan by his words. Well, technically, I first knew him by the videos he filmed for a church camp I attended for a few summers, but in our first real conversation a year or two afterward, I was captured by the depth and whimsy of his words. Though our first conversation was sparked by a shared interest in movies, our talks quickly bloomed into sharing self, beliefs, and dreams, which all aligned marvelously. We spent the next year and a half slowly, sweetly growing our friendship through written messages, phone calls, and FaceTime conversations until we made our first trip to officially meet in-person on June 6, 2019. On that day, we gladly made the transition from long-distance "just" friendship to long-distance dating, which developed even later into long-ish distance engagement! We've found each season to be a deeper, sweeter experience of friendship and are thrilled to invest in the Ultimate Friendship: MARRIAGE!!! The Lord has lavished his love upon me through Aidan's deep understanding of my joys, my aches, my dreams, and my tangled, tender heart. Aidan is so KIND and warm and steady; he grounds and comforts me well and often. He makes me gentler in spirit and sharper in action. He is an advocate for open expression. He shares his gifts of laughter, communication, sincerity, and play so generously with everyone--luckiest of all, me. I am deeply honored and joyed to spend the rest of my LIFE in partnership with my favorite person and dearest friend, my beloved Aidan Stone!

Communication is one of the most important things to me. Am I understanding this person? Am I being understood by them? The great treasure of valuing communication is finding someone who speaks your language. Mallory speaks my language. As she and I first began getting to know one another, it felt like Adam’s thoughts from Genesis 2: at last, this one is like me! Knowing and loving Mallory is one of the great joys of my life. The way she speaks! The way she thinks! The way she loves! The way she feels! She is the greatest friend I’ve had. Through our time together, she’s cared for me, encouraged me, challenged me, and led me. She’s laughed with me and cried with me. She is a champion of emotions! If anyone is close to experiencing the full breadth of the feelings that God created, it’s Mallory. She feels!! So strongly and so richly. She’s the most emotionally intelligent person I know. And she pairs that intelligence so wonderfully with loving people. She’s so good at that. She LOVES strangers. Every person that she does not know is a full, complete person that she /could/ know, and likely soon will. Her heart is very good. The Lord has blessed me so immeasurably through Mallory. He has brought so much joy and tenderness and delight. He has shown His great compassion for me. He has answered my most frequent prayers. He has shown Himself to me in sweeter ways than I ever thought I deserved. In His kindness, I get to spend my life with my person, the one He made like me! My ezer! My best friend! My Mallory.