How we met:
Sam was going to Oregon State University, and Laura was going to Western Oregon University, about 20 minutes up the road. They met through mutual friends at OSU, and hung out with some buddies the evening before Sam left for summer training camp in Dallas, Texas and Laura left for a week long U.S.-Canadian Youth Summit in Ottawa, Canada. They left an hour apart at the airport the next morning and just barely missed seeing each other, (due to Sam having more than 3 oz of liquid in his carry-on... but that's beside the point.) Sam called Laura while she was in Canada, and on her way back while waiting at the airport, she called him back to chat. Soon after she got back to Oregon, a five-hour long phone conversation made them begin to wonder if this friendship was really something more.
Laura was impressed with Sam's

How we got engaged:
Laura flew out to Denver on June 18th to spend a few days with Sam while he had some time off from training. The next morning, Sam took Laura to a yummy little cafe in Littleton, CO called "Toast," and then to "walk off breakfast" he told her that they should go for a walk through the Hudson Gardens just down the road. With five acres of various gardens to explore, they headed to the rose garden first. Three fountains circled by a brick pathway and thick rose bushes created a beautiful scene. They walked in under one trellis, as Laura noticed that some of the bricks in the pathway were engraved with names & special messages. Coming closer to the first fountain, she stopped to take a picture, then to the left, she spotted one brick in particular with white writing, which said "Laura, Will You Marry Me?" She froze, then as she looked back at Sam, she saw him getting down on one knee and reaching into his pocket. Pulling out the ring, he reached for her hand and asked her to be his wife. She said "YES!" and then had to sit down to catch her breath. At that moment, Sam then reached behind a wooden bench to pull out a beautiful bouquet of roses and stargazer lilies... her favorite. And so a new chapter of their love story began, rooted in Christ & continuing to grow together in faith.

Our wedding ceremony will take place at Good Shepherd Community Church, in Boring Oregon on Friday, February 20th at 6:00pm.

We would love for you to join us at one or both of our receptions:
Portland, Oregon
World Trade Center
7:30pm

Brea, California
Brea Embassy Suites
5:00pm