Let's Celebrate!

It all began when I became a water girl for the Liberty football team... the team that T.J. just happened to travel across the country to work for. I believe this was God's plan to bring us together. In the summer of 2018, I walked into the Reber Thomas Dining Hall for lunch with the team. Before I could get in to eat, I first needed to check in with the cute guy at the front desk. Of course I forgot my flames pass that day to get in (and the next three days after), so T.J. had to pull some strings to let me in. Was it on purpose that I forgot my pass just so I could talk to him for a bit longer? We'll never know! But after the subject of ice cream and bowling was brought up, the rest was history. God's hand is so evident on our story and it has been so amazing to see us grow both individually and together throughout these past few years. These years have consisted of so many different memories . We are so blessed to have been able to experience these things together that have made for such a fun and exciting dating/engaged season. From traveling and adventuring to just being in Lynchburg together, our relationship has grown through each opportunity. Above all these things, my most favorite thing has been going to church together. We saw early on that it was important for us to keep the Lord FIRST in our walk together. He has been so good to us since the beginning, now we cannot wait to celebrate it with you!

The day of the engagement was both exciting and nerve-wracking... mostly because I believed that Addi absolutely saw it coming. I had convinced her to go to the Philadelphia Art Museum, with the notion that I would recreate a picture with the Rocky statue that I had taken years earlier. After a yummy brunch, we made our way towards the Art Museum. It was then that the nerves began to crush me. Like, what-if-she-actually-says-no nerves. Nevertheless, everything seemed to be going smoothly while I tried to act as normal as possible. Now comes the interesting part. Addi's brother, John, and his girlfriend had set up the spot with "Marry me?" spelled out with candles at the top. They sent a picture and described where it was displayed, but I still wasn't 100% sure. So, I continued to scan the area as we made our way up the stairs to make sure we didn't pass it... only for Addi to catch on and ask what exactly I was looking for. Potential crisis, but I played it off (somewhat). We got to the top of the stairs and a man immediately asked to take a picture of me and my "wife." I initially thought he was in on the engagement for some reason and was pretty much ready to pack it in and call it a day after that. All the bullets dodged and potential giveaways avoided, and here this guy is spoiling it while we were only 10 feet away. Turns out he really did just want to take a picture (for a little donation, but that's okay). We then, finally, made it to the candles. After reading, Addi was initially in disbelief until I assured her it was definitely for us- the mark of a great surprise. I got down on one knee, popped the question, and she said YES! Applause erupted from bystanders who asked to come to the wedding (fine by me, the more the merrier)! After a short celebration with John and Victoria, we all made our way back to Addi's house. Unbeknownst to Addi, her whole family was waiting with anticipation for another surprise celebration to cap off a great day!