In the fall of 2014, Caleb and I were on the same ultimate frisbee team at Lamp High School and were just friends. The next fall we were put on the same ultimate frisbee team again. During that same semester (my senior year of high school and his junior year) I did not think I would be going to our homecoming dance because I did not have a date. One of my friends decided she would try to find me a date and thought of Caleb! She quickly texted him while we were in class and asked him if he had a date. To my surprise, he didn't, and she sent him my number immediately. We started texting and chatting some at school and even went on the same field trip a few weeks later. At the end of the field trip, he told me he parked near me and wanted to walk me to my car. As I pulled away, I noticed he started walking back in the OPPOSITE direction to his car! This definitely caught my attention. On November 18th, 2015, he asked me to homecoming by playing the cello in the hallway outside of my art class. We continued talking and then went to homecoming together. I was not interested in being in a relationship again until college, and I thought after the dance we would just stop talking. The Lord had different plans. I really enjoyed hanging out with him that night. I was surprised when we kept texting, but loved talking to him! He says he knew there was something special about me that night so he decided to keep talking to me. Over Christmas break he asked me if we could hang out since we weren't seeing each other at school for a few weeks, so we went to Chick Fil A where we sat and talked for over three hours! We both realized we really enjoyed talking to each other and being around each other...

On January 18th, 2016 Caleb asked me to be his girlfriend, and I said yes! That first weekend as new a couple we began our hundreds of dates to our favorite restaurant, Sushi Cafe (a staple in our relationship). Two weeks later, Caleb took me by surprise and told me he loved me. I thought he was pretty crazy for saying something like that so early and was not quite ready to say it back, even though I really loved spending time with him. He was so patient with me when it took me a good three months to be able to say something like that back to him. I admired his patience, understanding, and constant kindness. We spent the rest of that school year hanging out all the time and supporting each other at all of our athletic events, rain or shine. We simply loved being together! That summer, with my start to college getting closer and closer, we hung out just about every day. Even though our relationship was fairly new, because I was leaving, we had some very real conversations. That year became the start to our difficult, but sweet years of long distance. I came home every single weekend my freshman year to see Caleb, something I do not regret at all. The next spring Caleb decided he was going to attend The University of the South, in Sewanee, Tennessee, a four-hour drive from Auburn. We had even more real conversations and realized we were on the same page about the end goal. Thankfully, we decided we could not bear not being together. The next few years brought lots of tears when Caleb would head back to Sewanee, but our long-distance relationship made our communication with each other so strong. Thank goodness for technology and the blessing that is FaceTime! Despite our time apart, we continued to grow closer and more in love with each other through every phone call and text message. The weekends we were together were always so sweet and the distance helped us appreciate the time we did get together!

Due to the coronavirus, Caleb had to reschedule our proposal three different times. I felt so bad for all of the stress he was (secretly) under once I found this out! He finally secured the date to propose on May 2, 2020. THE BEST DAY EVER. During the quarantine, I told him it would be fun to have a date where we could go on a picnic somewhere and watch the sunset. He told me he wanted to plan the whole thing as a surprise. The week before the proposal he casually mentioned dressing nicer for our “surprise date” since we hadn’t gone on a nice date in a few months, and I agreed. During the weeks leading up to this date, Caleb kept mentioning how it was impossible to get a ring during the coronavirus. Surely this picnic could not be a proposal. Anyways, it was the day of our “surprise date” and I put on a new outfit and fixed my hair and makeup for the first time in over a month. He picked me up around 4:30 p.m. and we started driving. We drove for over an hour, and he kept “missing turns.” So, I was very confused. I now know he had to miss some turns to stall while his sweet sister finished preparing the proposal spot. We finally pulled into my favorite spot on Lake Martin, Children’s Harbor. He pulled up to the gazebo next to the water that was full of white rose petals on the ground and pictures of us strung from the last four years. My heart melted when I saw the pretty spot! He stood holding my hands, said the sweetest words, and then got on one knee with the prettiest ring I’ve ever seen! The surprises didn’t stop there. We drove back to my family’s lake house where my parents, his parents, his sister, and my best friend Peri were standing outside waiting for us! I immediately started crying. Then, we had a Zoom call with all of our closest friends and I thought my other best friend Hannah was on the call all the way from her house in Kansas. But then, she walked out of the house and completely surprised me! The tears continued. It truly was the happiest day!