We’re Getting Hitched!!!!

We ended up meeting during the summer at the gym due to mutual friends! Shoutout to them haha. There was a gym story on snapchat, where we would all post our "gains" or "fresh pumps" lol. After seeing him around a few times and meeting him, I had added him since we had now become acquaintances. From there, we had messaged a few times, talking about his job, because he always posted videos of him doing blasts for the excavation company he worked at. Then, one day he came up to me and asked what I was doing to get so tan in the tanning beds the gym had, because he had been tanning almost every workout, but didn't see a difference yet. I asked him what lotion he used, and he replied with "just lotion". I giggled a bit, and handed him my bottle of tanning lotion, told him how I used it and for him to try it out, and just bring it back to me the next day. Well, the following day when he brought it back to me, he decided to invite me out to Timbers, the local axe throwing bar, right across the street with a few of our mutual friends. There we talked and got to know one another a bit more, just laughing and enjoying each other's company. Then, the following day he took me on a date there, and it ended up just being us; throwing axes and having fun. From then on out, we knew, with the connect we had almost instantaneously, that God had to have placed us together. Truly, this relationship has been a "when you know, you know" situation. We are so thankful that God chose us for each other. Especially in a moment in our lives where we least expected it, we have found the most profound love. We are grateful to be able to share our story with all of our friends and loved ones. Thank you for being here to support and love us on our journey, and in this next chapter of our lives.

Our story begins over a year ago, when we bought a fixer upper house in Hedgesville, WV. This old hunters cabin, has slowly started to become a home with all kinds of projects to make it ours. After a year and some change, we were able to roll our land loan, into a construction loan. With the new loan, we are able to get everything done sooner, so that we can live in our cozy, rustic home. Before we can have some help to get it done sooner, we had to finish a few things first, such as ripping the drywall out of the master bedroom ceiling... Kota told me about a week before the 30th of December, that I needed to have that Monday off, because we had to get that drywall out, before the teams could come in and help speed up our process. I had my suspicions at first, but he was very convincing that we would ONLY be doing drywall and to wear clothes to work in. I had already scheduled appointments that day, but he told me to at least try to move them because he really needed me there. I was able to get the evening two appointments to take the weekend days before Monday the 30th. I was to get off around 2, and be at our house by 2:30. I ended up getting off around 1:40, so I decided to pick up some lunch for me and Boe, because Kota had mentioned he already got lunch from the corner store, down the road from our house. When I arrived at the house, I saw his truck parked right out front, like it usually is, and I assumed Boe was inside with him, because he didn't run up to my car when I pulled down our driveway. So, I ate my last two chick-fil-a nuggets, changed into my boots (since I thought we were doing drywall, I didn't want to wear my cute slippers and get drywall dust all over them), grabbed up the box of nuggets I got for our boy, and started to head inside. Then I realized I had forgotten my drink, turned around to grab it, THEN I started to make my way up the steps to the porch. When I opened our front door, all kinds of emotions and thoughts ran through my head. I was STUNNED. When opening the front door, my eyes filled with tears, as everything in front of me was a dream. There were blush, red, lavender, and white rose petals sprinkled in the middle of a candlelit aisle, lined with these beautiful, ruby red, heart-shaped balloons. The aisle way was laid out to end in two hearts, one big one that Dakota was patiently and nervously waiting in, and the other was a smaller heart, inlaid into the bigger one, also housing these flower petals and a ring box. There was music playing in the background; our song "Wondering Why" by the Red Clay Strays, and as I am taking it all in, I can't help but think how much I love this man, but also that he got me so good. Once I took it all in, I had to sit my chick-fil-a down on the floor, because my hands were full. This was so fitting though, because I am ALWAYS walking in with some food haha. Kota told me to set it down and we both giggled and I started making my way down the beautiful and carefully set up aisle. Once I met him at the end, he got down on his knee and expressed our love perfectly, asking me to marry him. I knelt down to meet him, telling him he already knew I would. To my surprise, he had my closest friends, and one of his best friends there, who helped him set up and make this all happen. They took so many photos and put so much care into helping him. Right before I arrived, a piece of drywall that we had propped against the wall, fell and blew almost all of the candles out. Sending them into a slight anxiety rigged, panic mode they are trying to light these candles like crazy and get back into position for when I walked in. This was so comically fitting though, because of course that would happen and of course I would walk in with food in my hands and spill some of my sprite out of my cup when I bent over to set everything down. This proposal was nothing short of perfect, in every way. He chose 12/30 because his grandparent's celebrated 59 years married that day.