On our first date (tasting delicious Mediterranean food and walking in a rose garden) we discovered that we love God, piano, reading, and living in friendship with God. Instantly, Christopher knew he could be himself around Jean and that she brought out his true self in a way no one else could. Jean instantly felt at home talking with Christopher about everything and could see his beautiful heart.

Over the past three years, we've grown in love and deeper understanding of each other. We share a sense of adventure and have made many of our dates themed around a different country in the world to give us a taste of traveling the world together. Highlights include trying Syrian cuisine, discovering that Egypt has our favorite kind of hummus, visiting Greece on our first Valentines Day together at Taverna Cretekou in Old Town, and "escaping from North Korea" through an escape room followed by a candlelight dinner.

One activity we both greatly enjoy is cooking and making our own dishes ourselves to experience other countries, like stamppot, a traditional Dutch dish, and red coconut curry from Thailand. We also love visiting cafes and are members of our very own book club. At one of these cafe visits, you will find Christopher ordering something chocolatey and Jean ordering anything with matcha.

Our book club has been a special way for us to have great discussions on different topics ranging from parenting to theology of the body to personal growth. Our book club spans all genres and has been a wonderful way to enrich our intimacy and deepen our knowledge of one other. It has also allowed us to consider what vision for life we have and align on our goals and hopes for the future. We can't wait to continue our adventures and to discover and love more and more about each other for the rest of our lives.

We would like to express gratitude to our caring families for loving us and instilling the values that we'll pass on to our children. Thank you for all of your unconditional love and support! We are beyond excited to receive this sacred sacrament and through our marriage help get each other to heaven and share the love of God with everyone we meet, including our future children.