Clay and I knew OF each other from a club at UTC - we ACTUALLY met on October 31, 2019 at a mutual friend's Halloween party. A quick convo about a club meeting led to hours talking about our interests, families, and beliefs. After a little trip to Reagan's (IYKYN), we knew there was something special about the other. Over the next couple of weeks, we couldn't get enough of each other!!! From plant shopping to pint nights to late night talking about our hopes and dreams, our relationship deepened quickly. A few weeks later, Clay planned a hiking date where we he expressed his feelings and formally asked for me to be his girlfriend. "I love you's" came quickly and intentionally... we introduced one another to our families and sweetest friends and realized how special it is that we both come from families who 1) know and love the Lord and 2) have parents who are still married and very much in love and 3) have brothers and sisters we get along with. 3 years of trips, outdoor adventures, surviving the pandemic-era, and back-and-forth long distance have only made our relationship stronger. And like they say... the rest is history!

Proposing to a Type-A planner like Alex was my biggest challenge to date - keeping the proposal a surprise was my goal! She was already planning on coming into town the weekend of October 14th, so I casually mentioned we should have a date night driving up to Signal Mountain for sunset followed by dinner at our favorite Chattanooga restaurant, Flying Squirrel. She was driving in from Nashville after work and wasn't sure if she would make it before sunset - but with the prayers from our families and the generosity of her clinical instructor letting her leave early, she rolled in with 45 minutes to spare. As we drove up the mountain, I was feeling very nervous inside but tried my best to remain calm and collected on the outside. As we drove up the mountain, I kept thinking to myself “I hope Alex doesn’t grab my arm as we walk to the viewpoint otherwise she’ll feel the box!” Sure enough, as we stepped out of the car, she wrapped her arm right around mine! We ventured down the mountainside to our favorite overlook with the Smokey Mountains way out in the distance. We snapped a picture (really to distract Alex from Nicole hiding in the bushes with her camera), and I handed her a letter. Alex's love language is words, so what better way to ask her to be my wife than with a letter? She read it out loud, and realized pretty quickly where this was going. With tears in her eyes and laughter coming out of her mouth, I got on one knee and said "What do you say boo, let's do this thing! Will you marry me???"