Tammi spent her early childhood years in Bakersfield, California before moving to Grand Rapids between her 5th & 6th grade years. She was a shy child with very selective taste buds (consisting of mostly bread and cheese). Throughout middle and high school she grew in self-confidence and made many memories with friends and family.

After graduating from Grand Rapids Christian High School in 2001, she spent four fun years at Calvin College. She made great friends and expanded her boundaries, spending a summer with high schoolers at Spring Hill Camps, a semester in Honduras, and then a summer in Jersey City through Calvin's Jubilee Fellows program.

After graduating with a Psych & Spanish degree, she accepted a job as part of the administrative team at her home church, Keystone Community Church in Ada, Michigan. Being the youngest and only single staff member was a unique experience, and she was glad to have another young single come on board when Philip Van Drunen arrived in fall of '06.

Tammi's passions include rock climbing, investing in friends and high school students, and Jesus. She is currently taking a year off of pursuing her Master of Divinity (pastor degree) at Western Theological Seminary in lieu of the impending marriage and move.

Tammi has an older sister, Christi, who is married to Blain. Her younger sister, Mindi, got married last summer to Luke. Her brother, Zach, is a freshman at Calvin College. Her parents are adjusting to life as empty-nesters in Ada, Michigan.

After coding this entire site, Philip was so exhausted he forgot to write his autobiography. Come back tomorrow.

Love at first sight is not how we would describe our relationship. It took a bit longer than that. We met when Philip came on board as a Keystone staff member in September 2006. Tammi's first memory of Phil was his interview. Phil's first memory of Tammi was getting directions to Keystone from the friendly receptionist.

It would take four months for a friendship to begin -- before January we were strictly business colleagues. In January, Tammi asked Phil to come Frisbee golfing with her, and the friendship blossomed from there. After being part of a core group of people to start the best 20somethings group in GR (in our humble opinion), and spending many more days hanging out, a spark flew one week in late-April.

Phil asked Tammi to date him on May 1, and just two weeks later, we were talking about marriage. We decided to wait a few weeks for everyone else to catch up with our puppy love, but not much longer than that. Actually, we waited a whole summer long, and then a couple more months before Phil proposed on October 5. That's a really long story that involves dinner, symphony, some magical elves and other things. If you want to see the story in pictures, check it out here.

We enjoy doing multiple things together, including rock climbing, geocaching (essentially a high-tech worldwide scavenger hunt), swimming, laughing, and general fun and frivolity. We also love our 20somethings group and growing together as we walk with Jesus.

We are excited to begin our life together in Colorado, where Tammi has accepted a job with a non-profit group that works with underprivileged Hispanic students. We know God will walk with us and lead us through this adventure, and we are eager to see where He will bring us next.

UPDATE! Our engagement photo's taken by Kari Douma are now available online to view and/or purchase.

Engagement Photo Slideshow

The picture links below are hosted at Facebook.com. You don't need to be a member of Facebook to view them, but if you decide to create a profile we would LOVE to be your Facebook friend.

Engagement Night
Chicago on the Fourth of July (by Tammi)
Chicago on the Fourth of July (by Philip)
Rock Climbing at Grand Ledge
Thanksgiving with Van Drunen's
Frederick Meijer Gardens (Philip edition)

We will get around to posting more soon, so check back everyday. We Love You!