And so we begin

Dear ones, 

What an exciting week it’s been to finally put the word out about our wedding next summer. Thank you so much to those of you who’ve taken the time to respond to our save the dates with love and enthusiasm. I can’t overstate how much we see both the wedding and these messages as a chance to connect with you all – the people we love. As the weeks go on, please keep reaching out! No update is too small to treasure. 

For the next few weeks, I’d like to share with you the story of our relationship so far, to capture the chapters that came before our engagement. It’s funny, of all the weddings I’ve attended, there are just a few where I felt I really knew the couple and their story. Perhaps that’s because these stories get messy with time, as they evolve from the simplicity of first dates and crushes. 

I hope you’ll bear with me through the messiness, friends, as I try to recall the small steps that carried us here. 

Which, I suppose, is the last thing for you all to know: these are really just for us. As we think, talk, and pray about the journey ahead, sharing with you is also simply a reason to write down our thoughts on life, love, and marriage as we see them today – to drop an anchor in this moment in time so that someday we might return to this season and trace our way to wherever we find ourselves. 

Thank you for joining us on the journey. 

—

It’s my first day of work at my first job out of college, and I’m so nervous. So nervous that my hands are shaking on my steering wheel as I drive to the office, realizing with growing dread that I have no real idea what Lenati does, let alone if I will have any clue how to do it (seems unlikely). By the time I approach the door on W McGraw I am half convinced I won’t make it through the day, but I walk in anyway. 

Inside, a boy about my age is sitting on a small, gray couch wearing a full suit. After saying hi to the kind receptionist, I sit next to him while we wait for our lives as professionals to begin. It is our first “before” — the first of many — but I don’t know that yet. What I know is that he looks very calm, very professional, and very much like he belongs in this big, grown-up office. He introduces himself as Ethan. 

As we move through our onboarding process, I am intimidated by Ethan in that way that lights a small fire in my belly — I want to learn from him, to talk with him. He jokes with the obtuse HR delegate tasked with preparing us for our roles here, and that’s when I decide: Ethan will be my first Seattle friend. 

I don’t remember much of that first week of work, honestly, but I do remember our first walk. 

I meant to talk to Ethan about his past work experiences and how he found Lenati but instead he tells me about falling in love with Seattle a long, long time ago and about the girl he loved once who makes him wonder if he’ll ever find love again.

We’re across the street, between the windows of a little art gallery and the rusted post box, our conversation winding to a close when I find myself saying, in the words of a six year old, “will you be my friend?” 

Ethan cocks his head like a dog, an amused smile warming his face. "Okay," he says. 

And so we begin.