NARRATED BY LENA:

We first met on a beautiful and sunny Sunday afternoon in July of 2013. A few friends and I had decided to make a quick trip to Chicago for the weekend to close out the summer in style. After that Sunday liturgy, we, and a few other native Chicagoan's, went out for brunch. Andrew, who prides himself on being punctual, arrived late. Very late. Walking in, strutting his Texan stuff, with a over-sized grin on his face, I immediately wrote him off.

It wasn't until I was forced to sit next to him for a ride in his car that my mind began to change. We bonded over our love for dogs, music, and crab legs.

For about a year we remained close friends. (Everyone knew he had a crush on me the whole time, he was just too shy to admit it) Regardless of the distance, we learned more and more about each other over time, thanks to modern technology. Andrew insists we began dating September 9, 2014 - which marks the day he admitted to having a crush on me :) But in-fact we began dating, or, 'courting' on November 1, 2014.

Everyday since then has been an absolute blessing. God has blessed us both immensely and we cannot thank Him enough.

We first met on a Sunday about a month after I moved to Chicago. My friend had called and invited me to a restaurant to hang out with a bunch of Minnesotans who were visiting mutual friends for the weekend . I was pretty reluctant in going as I really had no desire in meeting new people (I live by the "no new friends" type of lifestyle). But after a bunch of badgering and name-calling, my friend finally convinced me to go. I walked in to the restaurant, alone and in a vulnerable position only to find this group staring at me with straight, unwelcoming faces. Needless to say, I instantaneously regretted my decision. In any case, I sat down at the end of the table and sparked conversation with those around me (none of which were Lena).

After lunch, we all headed out to walk the city and everyone began to open up and this is where Lena and I began our bonding experience. Anyone who knows me understands how much my dog (Sahtoot) means to me so clearly this would be a primary topic of conversation. When I first told Lena that my dog's name was Sahtoot, I could see her soul judging me, but that didn't phase me because that's the typical reaction I receive anyways. Luckily for me, she is a huge dog lover and told me about her dog, Cookies. At this point, I was totally in without even trying. As the day progressed, we realized that we had many more things in common besides our love for dogs, and this finally culminated in receiving a "friend request" as soon as she got back to Minnesota that same day. =)