Only forever

...another joke was given in response, and for four years now, Stephen and I have been telling each other corny jokes. I can think of nothing more quintessentially me or him or us than bad jokes. Stephen and I met at an SCA (Student Conservation Association) training the summer before I graduated college. We spent a week developing a friendship that experience had taught me would probably fade soon after. To the contrary, Stephen and I stayed in contact for the next year, he even offered to help me move from Philadelphia to Vermont after graduation. Stephen showed up for that trip with my favorite road trip snack which I had mentioned in passing one day. He did all of the driving, and never complained once when I fell asleep or played music he didn’t like. By the end of that trip, I knew Stephen was going to be a lifelong friend, but nothing more. I also knew that whoever married him was going to be really blessed. Stephen moved to Australia while I was adjusting to my first winter in Vermont. We sent packages and letters back and forth, as friends do. When he returned stateside last January, we started planning a trip to see each other which would later be derailed due to COVID. In the meantime, he bought and started renovating a house in Pittsburgh, something I soon discovered that I found very attractive. By June Stephen was finally able to visit for a week, at the end of which I called my dad, warning him this was serious and to "buckle up". For many years I asked God for a partner. I told him that I would be patient and trust his timing. I continued to pray and trust and ask. For years, God put the answer in front of my face, and I was blind to see it. Looking back, 2020 required more support than I ever needed before, and once again, God gave me Stephen.

This was the first thing that Jordan ever said to me when we met back at summer camp in 2017. Ok, so maybe it wasn't technically summer camp, but it was a 10-day training where we got to play outside a lot. From our first interactions and time spent together we quickly struck up a friendship. I remember thinking at the time that any girl who likes to tell jokes and wants to ride around on my bicycle handlebars was someone to keep an eye on. After our week at 'summer camp' had ended we both went back to our normal lives. From that point our friendship grew with the occasional text or phone call, and eventually hints of romance: leaving each other silly voicemails, sending letters back and forth, and checking in on each other when things were not going so well. Our relationship endured many challenges like living in different states (and countries), other romantic pursuits, new jobs, and even Jordan putting me in the 'friend zone' on more than one occasion. Once we finally decided to get together it was pretty obvious to both of us that this was something special. 2020 was the year that we fell in love. It was a year filled with trips to farmers markets, hiking, swimming, browsing flea markets, and lots of tasty cooking. Our relationship has been anything but conventional... Telling your families you are getting married to a person they have never met (except over Zoom) is not usually the way things happen. Likewise, starting an engagement while living 11 hours apart isn't anyone's first choice, but I am beyond thankful to God for preparing our hearts for marriage, and the journey that has brought us to where we are now. Despite all the challenging events of the past year, what I will remember most is that it was the year that led to my future wife, Jordan.