When their relationship began two years ago, Sgt. 1st Class Dave Sivewright and Christina Nelson were literally worlds apart. He was serving in Kuwait, while Nelson was at home in Sultan.
But despite the ocean and continents between them, a friendship sparked.
That friendship grew into mutual respect, inspiration and love, and on Saturday, March 28, Nelson became Christina Sivewight at First Baptist Church in Sultan. Officiated by Crosswater Community Church Pastor Aaron Day, the appropriately themed red-white-and-blue ceremony was attended by a room full of family and friends.
The pastor, the groom and even the bride sported custom-made red-white-and-blue Converse sneakers.
Day recalled when he first learned who Dave was. Somebody had asked him, "Do you know that the Freedom Runner goes to your church?GÇ¥
Dave "Freedom RunnerGÇ¥ Sivewright started running with the American flag in 2010 while he was stationed in Vancouver, Washington, as a way to get in shape and lift spirits. He continued running after he was reassigned to Utah, even participating in the Salt Lake City half-marathon in April 2011. He crossed the finish line with his flag held high.
He was running for freedom long before he came to the Sky Valley, but it was only through meeting Christina that he became known as the Highway 2 Freedom Runner.
The two met online in January 2013, while Dave was on deployment in Kuwait. Christina initiated her "Good Morning, DaveGÇ¥ project as a way of supporting him while he was serving overseas. She had a photograph of Dave and his battalion, and on the other side of the photo, she wrote the words, "Good Morning, Dave.GÇ¥
Every day, she would approach random people, and ask them if they would mind saying hello to a soldier in Kuwait. As they held up the "Good Morning, DaveGÇ¥ sign, Christina would snap a photo and send the pictures to Dave.
She approached anyone she encountered GÇô from the UPS driver to the Sultan High School Show Choir. Most people were happy to participate in the project.
After returning from deployment, Dave went home to Utah but was fortuitously reassigned to the Armed Forces Reserves Center in Marysville. He moved to Sultan during summer 2013, and since then, Dave has been running along U.S. 2 with "Old Glory,GÇ¥ a 4-foot by 6-foot American flag mounted on an 8-foot staff.
He has become a welcome sight to residents and travelers as they pass through town, and as they honk and wave, Dave always takes a second to salute them. When asked why he runs with the American flag, Dave will always answer, "Pride, duty and honor.GÇ¥
His "Hwy 2 Freedom RunnerGÇ¥ Facebook page has nearly 2,000 likes and is filled with photos that people snap as they pass him by on the roadway.
"We've had a lot of really great times together, but freedom, that's how I was introduced to you GÇô Freedom Runner,GÇ¥ Day said.
When it comes to celebrating freedom, Christina has embraced all that Dave stands for. Last fall, she spearheaded the American Flag project, because she wanted to see Main Street in Sultan lined with American flags during holidays and other special events. She coordinated a fundraising initiative, phased the project and established an aggressive deadline for herself GÇô she wanted to see phase one completed before Sultan's Veterans' Day celebration.
She accomplished her goal; 48 flags were on display during last fall's blustery Veterans' Day celebration, an event that Christina and Dave co-chaired.
Dave and Christina have participated in countless fundraising runs and events, and Dave is a frequent speaker at local Boys & Girls Clubs, schools and other organizations. Last year, on Veterans' Day, Damar Aerosystems in Monroe organized its own "Freedom RunGÇ¥ inspired by Dave, who had spoken at its event the year before.
Eight-year-old Tyee Eliason, who lives in Gold Bar, was so inspired by Dave that he asked his dad for his own flag so that he could run with a flag, too.
On April 18, the Sivewrights will participate in Crosswater Community Church's Walk for Water, a fundraising event to provide clean water in developing countries around the world. The walkathon will be held from 2 to 5 p.m. at Sultan High School. In lieu of wedding gifts, the couple asked for donations to support either the clean-water initiative or Christina's own American flag project, which she is working to complete.
While some might feel that freedom is an odd theme for a wedding, it is one that was fully embraced for the matrimony of these 2015 Sky Valley Citizens of the Year.
"Freedom is honestly one of the most precious gifts God can give us, and we can do whatever we want with that freedom,GÇ¥ Day said. "But to serve Him, to love Him, to love others, in that order, is the greatest expression of freedom.GÇ¥
For more information on the Highway 2 Freedom Runner, visit www.facebook.com/pages/HWY-2-Freedom-Runner/665996226746058. For more information on the American flag project, visit www.gofundme.com/AmericanFlagProject.
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