He Said, She Said

In 53 days I will marry Corey Brink, the love of my life. I barely knew him 4 months ago, and now I can't imagine life without him. God is so good!

We shared our story on our wedding website, but here it is for safe keeping. xo

He Said

Let’s start at the bus stop on a cold winter’s day.  That’s where I spoke to a stranger about the route schedule and the unfortunate necessity of a smartphone when navigating through the city on public transportation. This stranger would become my good friend, Jeremy. I had only been in Boston for a few months, and I was in need of friendships, so when Jeremy invited me to a dinner party a few weeks afterward, I gladly accepted.

Enter Elizabeth Snyder, an attendee of said dinner party. Though we did not hit it off that evening, her presence at the table left an impression on me that would have me wondering, “Who is this Elizabeth Snyder?” I had a deep suspicion that her and I would get along well.  She was full of witty remarks and entertaining stories. The conversation that evening seemed dominated by Elizabeth, Jeremy, and I.

Let’s skip forward a bit. We saw very little of each other until July. My suspicions, however, were fueled after our interactions on social media. It was May when Elizabeth sent a message to ask if I was single and open to being set-up with a friend of hers. This was something new that I had never done before, and it sounded like good experience, so I took her up on the offer. It didn’t work out, thankfully, but that’s when I thought more about the possibility of dating Elizabeth. After all, she must have thought pretty well of me if she was so willing to see me date her good friend. Toward the end of July, after my trip to Washington, I decided to put a line out. She had sent out a mass email for an upcoming social event and I responded with a quick “No.”  (It was swing dancing). I knew she had returned recently from a trip to the PNW as well, so I just asked her how the trip went. So started the emails.  I loved getting to know Elizabeth in this way. Not only was I drawn in by the rich content of the emails, but I also learned by her prompt replies that she was invested in this correspondence. She was obviously willing, available, and ready for relationship. This was very attractive to me, to have someone that was comfortable, forward, and secure with my sometimes blunt, “no-walls” approach. Well, it was four days of many back and forth letters until I asked her out for dinner and a walk. She accepted and we continued to write to each other until the day of our first date.

Things moved quickly. If there were a speed limit on dating, we would certainly be responsible for an infraction. Six weeks after our first date, I asked Elizabeth to be my wife. We had talked much about marriage, though you would not have guessed if you had seen how surprised she was at the question.  I knew the answer would be “YES!” And so here we are now, to be married on January 3rd, 2015.

I am so eager to start this new journey in our lives. God has provided so richly in my life and the gift of Elizabeth is no exception. Her knowledge and faith in God is exemplary and she is determined to help me grow in Christ and see Him at work. She is incredibly loving, sweet and affectionate, generous, forward, dedicated, grateful, joyful, funny, clever, and so much more. I delight in her and God has given me great joy by bringing her into my life.

She Said

I moved to Boston in 2006, left in the fall of 2012 for a job in Houston, and promptly returned to my beloved city in January of 2014.

Upon my return, my new fun friend, Jeremy Doran, invited me to a dinner party at his home with strangers on February 21, 2014. When I arrived, only Jeremy and one other guest were there, and that is when I met Corey Brink.

Over the Spring and early Summer months, we saw each other at a few events, but never really talked much. In May, I contacted him to see if he was a) single and b) open to being set up. Yes, I tried to set him up with my friend. Though they never went out it wasn't a total failure, in my opinion.

After I returned from a trip to Oregon in July, Corey replied to an email I sent to 64 of my closest friends to say he couldn't make it to the events. He also asked how my trip went. I replied and then so did he. In his second or third email he asked a question about my family and instantly the alarms sounded as I thought, "Um, what are you doing?" We wrote several times that night and then every day that week. On Friday, he sent an email describing his family - boy can he write! The beautiful way he wrote about them made me panic that I was developing a crush on someone who was just "being nice." After texting my sisters for confirmation that boys do not write long emails and ask questions if they're not interested, I resolved to wait a couple more days before shutting it down. I did not, after all, want a pen pal.

That same night, Corey sent a second email to ask me out that included the phrase, "...the spark of my curiosity has been kindled." We continued to email everyday until our first date the following Friday. After the date, he sent me a text telling me I was "a joy to be around." Be still my heart! Is this guy for real?! There are so many more details about the beginning of our story I'd love to share, but perhaps I'll save them for the memoir.

I longed for a life partner and husband, but I never had the faith to hope for someone as perfect for me as Corey. Words cannot express the delight of my heart that God brought Corey into my life. I am not worthy of such a wonderful gift, so I am bursting with gratitude and JOY that my heavenly father loves to give good gifts to his children.

I am so excited to continue this adventure with such a kind, thoughtful, gentle, creative, humble, and hilarious man.

"For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever. Amen."
-Romans 11:36

The Proposal!

Corey proposed (and I said YES!) on September 12, 2014, six weeks to the day of our first date.

After a sushi dinner on Newbury Street, we went for a walk over to the Public Garden in the center of downtown Boston. It was a beautiful night, clear skies and a cool breeze. As we strolled across the small footbridge over the pond we stopped to take in the city skyline. I couldn't help but gush over how much I love Boston!

Quick aside: Earlier that week, we had talked about the possibility of being married around the holidays instead of in the Spring.

Back to the bridge: Corey hugged me close and I could hear his heart pounding. He was suddenly very serious and said to me that in thinking about the wedding date he needed a little more information before deciding. His seriousness caused me to panic - was something wrong? What could he need to know? Did he want to get counseling? I asked how he wanted to get the information - he kneeled in front of me and said, "I need to know... will you marry me?"

I squealed, "Are you serious?!" To which he laughed and nodded and I said yes! As we hugged, I could not stop exclaiming my shock. Corey said, "Well... we have been talking about it..." I explained that I can talk incessantly about something without it entering into my reality.

He walked me under the bridge where he said he had a surprise. He wanted to make the evening special by bringing me flowers, though he had none in his hands. He pulled a small package of fireworks from his pocket! He lit one and it spun around on the ground looking like a pretty little flower made of light. When he asked if I wanted to set off another I yelled, "No way! I don't want to get arrested! Let's get out of here!"

We spent the rest of the evening smiling, talking about how excited we are to be married, and calling family and friends to share the news.

I love our story because it encourages my heart and will in years to come when I'm not sure if God can hear or see me. He heard my prayers and provided beyond that for which I pleaded. I'm also thankful for the way God is using it to build up hope in the hearts of our dear friends. God is MIGHTY and he does sometimes move swiftly!