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It all started when Eric began working at Calvary Church...

Since Eric was a single guy in ministry, Eric's boss (Mark Canada) took it upon himself to find Eric a girl. (Because clearly one of the perks of being a youth pastor is trying to set other people up.) Mark has known Jen for years, as she had grown up at Calvary and volunteered as a leader in the student ministries. Mark knew that Jen and Eric would be a great match, but Eric was cautious. And Jen certainly didn't want someone else telling her who she should be interested in. Let's just say that the few times Eric had tried to strike up conversations with Jen, it did not go well. (Because again, Jen didn't want someone else deciding who she should date!) A few months after they had first met, a position opened up at Calvary and Jen was hired. Now, with their offices directly across from each other, Eric and Jen soon began to get to know each other without the pressure of a relationship. (Because seriously, co-workers dating would be a bad idea, right?!) Planning events, leading bible studies and laughing around the office grew them closer together and a friendship soon formed. After leading missions trips together over the summer of 2015, they found themselves spending more time together outside of work and it was only a matter of time until friendship turned to romance...

It was a cool summery night in August 2015, on the roof-level deck of Jen's aunt and uncle’s house in downtown Lancaster City, that Eric told Jen he wanted to call dibs… on her. 

Jen had been house sitting for her aunt and uncle for a few weeks at the end of the summer and Eric had made it a practice to cycle over for good food and conversation. On one of those nights, Jen was talking about her interactions with other people and how she had some random suggestions for dates with other guys and she didn’t know how to respond. Eric told her then that while he didn’t feel like he was able to, he wished he could “call dibs” on her. She immediately responded that she wanted him to call dibs. She didn’t hesitate. She knew then and there that she really liked this boy and wanted to be his. There were still a lot of questions that needed to be answered, both of them were concerned about the complications of dating a co-worker and the difficulties that could bring, but they seemed like the only ones who thought it would be a concern. (Because apparently it's quite common for relationships to be born out of working together, especially in ministry!) So after a few more conversations and much prayer and consultation, Eric and Jen went on their first date on September 10, 2015. Dinner at Himalayan Grill was followed by a walk in the rain, and it was just the beginning...

The Adventure Begins...

Fast forward 8 1/2 months into May 2016… Wednesday, May 18th. 

It’s not often that Eric and Jen get a Wednesday night “off,” so they were both really looking forward to a Wednesday with a regular work day, and a night free of meetings.  The week prior, Eric suggested making dinner plans at one of Jen's favorite restaurants, Ma(i)son, in downtown Lancaster.  After an incredible dinner, Eric suggested a walk through the city, which ended up on Chestnut Street… walking towards Jen's aunt and uncle’s house at the top of Chestnut. As they neared their house, Jen suggested that they stop in and see if her aunt and uncle were home, since they were already in the area. After Jen knocked a few times, with no answer, Eric suggested they try the door to see if anyone was home… they were not. Of course, Eric knew the house would be empty. Jen had a pretty good feeling what was going on as they entered the house, but she had no clue what was waiting at the top when they reached the deck outside. Having enlisted the help of Jen's two fabulous sisters, Eric had the deck all setup for a romantic reminder of where and when they had their first conversation about diving into this relationship… the same place where he first called dibs…and as he got down on one knee, Eric Gregory told Jen Siegrist that he wanted to call dibs for the rest of their lives…and it’s no surprise that clearly, she said yes!