Sam's Version:

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We met in the most 2020s way possible: Online. After a 3 hour phone call, I knew what I had to do. I made the first move, shot my shot, and next thing you know we’re on a first date while it’s pouring outside. Plan A got rained out, so we went with Plan Pizza. We ran to the grocery store for ingredients, ducked back to my apartment, and somewhere between the produce aisle and the preheat button we had our first kiss about 15 minutes in. We never looked back. We talked incessantly until midnight like two people who had been saving up a thousand conversations for the right person. (DON'T WORRY, Ella isn't naive towards stranger danger... I later found out that she had her mom Jody run a background check on me beforehand!)

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By day 3, Ella told me exactly what she wanted in a relationship. That was it for me. Her faith was the North Star. Her strength and kindness were obvious. And the wisdom behind her words made me think, OK, this could be it. Early green flags kept stacking up. She’s the life of the party, can talk to anyone about anything, and she’s smart as hell. Quick witted too, in that sassy way that makes you grin because you know you’ve met your match.

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What I admire most about her has only grown clearer. She has a huge heart that notices needs before they are spoken. She is endlessly inquisitive and hungry to learn, which keeps our world expanding. And she processes life with this uncanny intelligence that turns ideas into action. On Sundays we’re either in church or watching the service together at home, and the rest of the week we are building our businesses side by side. There’s nothing like dreaming together and then rolling up our sleeves together.

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She has quirks that I secretly hope never change. When a song she likes comes on, she starts this little dance with a foot tap and a hum that sneaks up on her. It’s half beat, half goofy, and all joy. At home we watch the dog and cat study each other like a science experiment. We bond over our mutual disdain for laundry. And I keep trying to teach her football while I’m watching, despite her complete and utter lack of interest that somehow makes me love her more every Sunday. Don’t tell her - I’m still holding out hope she’ll come around.

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We’re both a little feisty, so patience was a lesson we had to learn early. Loving each other taught us how to slow down, listen, and fight for the same team. That practice paid off on a chilly day in New York when I asked her to walk with me through Central Park. She did not expect a proposal at all. I had her convinced it was not happening on that trip. I started telling her what was in my heart and before I could even ask the question, her jaw dropped and she said yes. My heart was pounding, not from nerves, but from certainty. It felt like stepping into the life God had been writing for us.

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Because our relationship is not just Sam and Ella. It is Jesus, Sam, and Ella. We want a Christ centered marriage that pulls us toward something bigger than ourselves and makes our home a place of grace, grit, laughter, and purpose.

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Now we’re excited for the next chapter. Buying our first home. Turning our businesses into dream businesses. Traveling far and wide. Raising kids who know they are deeply loved. And filling our days with small, ordinary moments that feel awesome and cinematic when we are together.

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To Ella, you are the greatest, strongest, smartest, kindest, funniest, and best looking woman I have ever met and will ever meet. I will love you and cherish you forever, sweet girl!