Winter of 2008 brought a lot of firsts for us: Our first trip to the snow, our first official photography job together, our first time living in the same city as boyfriend and girlfriend and, of course, our first Christmas together. But, what was most important was that we made our first friends who were couples.
Jacob had been roommates with 4 guys his senior year of college and 2 of them were Matty and Danny. Danny was married to a bubbly girl named Erin with the best hair you’ve ever seen and Matt was dating an adorably sweet girl named Lindsay. Although the girls seemed sweet, I was skeptical of us becoming BFF’s. It’s so rare to find “couple” friends because the guys have to connect, the girls have to like each other, and the overall group dynamic has to work.
Somehow, it just clicked. We are all so different, and yet, so similar at the core. I guess that’s why it worked. Erin made me laugh and Lindsay liked to snuggle just as much as I did. I could have long theological talks with Matty in which I would use words like “kinda” and “totally” while he used words like “dichotomy” and “post-millennialism”, and I’d still have fun. One hug from Danny and I could be cheered up. (Anyone who’s had a hug from Danny, just try to come up with ONE person who gives better hugs. You can’t.) It was a perfect mix of lighthearted fun and deep conversation.
It would take a few months to really get settled as a friend group, but by the end of spring it was official, we had found lifelong friends. That summer of 2009, we all lived in an apartment complex together. Danny and Erin lived in an apartment on the first floor, Matt and Jacob on the second floor, and Lindsay and I in the building across the courtyard on the top floor.
As roommates, Lindsay and I would spend the summer falling asleep every night chatting about when we would get married to the men of our dreams. Living just across the courtyard together, I’m sure Matt and Jacob fell asleep each night planning their weddings too. Guys do that, right? No?
In July, Matt proposed to Lindsay and in August, Jacob and I got engaged. (Apparently those two had spent the summer planning their weddings.)
Over the next few years, we would attend each other’s weddings, move away from one another, and add another couple into the mix, Jessi and Jeremiah. Throughout all of the changes, we have grown closer and deeper than ever.
We had these three couples over this weekend and as I looked around the dinner table at each of them I realized what an extraordinary thing we have been blessed with. We have a group of sweet, like-minded couples that encourage and challenge Jacob and I to love each other better.
That’s so special, and so rare.
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