Jack and Josie met at John Carroll University on April 18, 2016 at approximately 4:00 p.m. (yes- Jack can remember the time!). They had mutual friends since high school but had never crossed paths. Jack was sitting near the central fountain when Josie approached to say hello to her friends, who Jack happened to be visiting with. The friends introduced the two. They walked as a group to the library. Josie proceeded to the library to study, Jack went for a ride to the store with the friends.
Jack now admits that he thought to himself in that moment, "Did I just meet the future Mrs. Hyland?"
Jack followed that event with many attempts at flirtation- a casual hello on campus, a tap on the gym window one time, casually getting on the treadmill next to Josie another (Josie ignoring the entire event), and even a comment on a Facebook post regarding Firecakes donuts!
Flash forward to summer 2016. Jack obtained Josie's phone number at Wilbert's downtown while watching a Cleveland Cavalier's playoff game. That's when what Josie thought to be moments as just "two friends" began to happen more frequently. They attended the Cavalier's parade together, carpooled to JCU, and went for (Mitchell's) ice cream. Josie often invited her friends along to these events. She and Jack were "just friends" so the more the merrier, right? (And yes, like a true gentleman Jack would then treat Josie and her guests to ice cream!)
But Josie may or may not have had a secret crush. She can recall a time that Jack texted that he was at Huntington Beach, inviting her to join just to visit. Josie decided to go for a walk, all of the way to Huntington, paused when she got there, and circled back home. I suppose it is safe to say her nerves kicked in!
Flash forward to August 2016. Jack took Josie for Mitchell's Ice Cream the night before the first day of classes. The two sat outside and the time just flew as they enjoyed a sweet treat. To Josie, this was still not a date...
After a few more ice cream trips (and a dwindling college bank account), Jack finally realized he needed to be more explicit. He wanted to take her and ONLY her on a date. Josie received a message saying, "I want to take you on a date." The two went on their first date on September 10, 2016. Jack was late to pick Josie up, it was pouring rain, they were extremely late to dinner...yet the night could not have been more perfect. Josie's close friend (turned Matron of Honor), Carly, helped to get her ready. She wore a white blouse, jeans, and brown loafers; Jack was in a button down and jeans (and he often wears the exact same button down each year that they celebrate the anniversary of their first date!). Jack ordered a steak, Josie the salmon (yes they can remember the details!). Dinner was followed by Jeni's Ice Cream, a view of the falls and watching a few episodes of Friday Night Lights on Netflix.
A concert at blossom, a few more dinner dates and many more ice cream trips after September 10th led Jack to ask Josie to "officially" be his girlfriend on October 23, 2016.
This love story could go on and on- two graduations, navigating the workforce and "adult" life, trips to Florida, Aruba, Puerto Rico, Costa Rica, Iceland, and many more cities in between both tested and strengthened Jack and Josie's relationship.
Jack surprised Josie with ring shopping in January 2022. He even surprised her with her mom at the shop to assist. It was a special memory that will be cherished.
And then there was a waiting period (Josie thought Jack may have forgotten!).
April was a pretty dreary month in 2022. It was cold, rainy, and even had some snow.
But April 23 was sunny and bright, near 70 degrees.
Jack proposed on April 23, 2022.
He proposed in the exact same spot that the two met.
The day was absolutely perfect.
Josie is a numbers girl. Jack respects that. Let's go over some numbers.
The couple's address is 1234 (note the 23).
The couple wanted a longer engagement, which meant a proposal in 2022 would likely mean a wedding in 2023 (note the 23).
And some notable dates...
October 23, 2022: Officially "dating"
June 23, 2022: Josie officially moves in
April 23, 2022: Jack proposes
The couple knew that they wanted a September wedding as the month is very special to them- it commemorates their first date!
September 23, 2023 falls on a Saturday. Coincidence?!
Jack & Josie are very excited for this day and feel extremely blessed to be able to share it with their family and friends.
When Jack was asked to share anything he wanted to include in this, he wrote:
"In hindsight, I believe God put us in one others’ paths at just the right time. We met one another at transitional moments in our lives. We were both overcoming challenging life events and were vulnerable.
We have been able to grow and heal together. She gave me hope and confidence. I hope I’ve done the same for her."
(For the record he has done just that and so much more that words cannot express.)
Jack may have summed up this lengthy story best.
xoxo
Josie & Jack