It was Freshmen year of high school and my best friend, Amberly, was "talking" to Austin's best friend, Jake. Sorry to drop names y'all, but we have to give credit to the people who helped our love story begin! Anyways, Amberly and I were on Facebook one afternoon at her house and she was showing me Jake's page. Austin's name popped up and immediately struck my interest because our last names were so similar (Hedrick->Hendricks). Amberly clicked on his page and once I saw that he was Taylor Launtner's twin (at the time. I swear.), I logged into my Facebook and sent him a friend request. He immediately accepted and sent me a message. His first word's to me were "Why did you send me a friend request? Is it because you think I'm hot?" I should've known then what I was getting myself into! I told him I had to log off of Facebook (no smartphones back in those days) and he asked for my number. So we started texting. The next time I got on Facebook I scrolled through his page and noticed another girl who I assumed was his girlfriend, so I stop responding to him. A week later I went to a UGA football game, where he saw me in person for the first time. He texted me and asked if I was at the game but I didn't respond because I still thought he had a girlfriend. Finally after the game, I noticed the girl was no longer on his Facebook and his relationship status was "single." So, I started responding again and we decided that we had to meet in person.

November 19, 2010, the day we met. Obviously being 2 Freshmen in high school, neither one of us could drive. Amberly and I were both cheerleaders, so Austin and Jake agreed to ride to our football game with Amberly's dad to watch us cheer (so cheesy, I know). So of course I made sure my hair and makeup were perfecr. My snooki poof was sky high and my eye shadow was as blue and glittery as ever. I had butterflies all day about meeting him and right before the game he texted me and said he wasn't going to make it. He told me that he got in trouble at school that day, his dad wasn't going to let him come, and that Jake was coming alone with Amberly's dad. I was so disappointed. Amberly and I were down on the football field getting ready for the game, when I looked up and saw him standing at the top of the bleachers. My first words to him in person were, "You're such a liar!" He gave me a hug and said that he wanted to surprise me (sign # 2 that he was going to keep me on my toes). Austin and Jake stayed the whole game, making fun of us every time we messed up a cheer, and we all rode back together to meet Jake's parents. I stayed at Amberly's house that night and Austin called me as soon as she went to bed. We talked on the phone for 8 hours that night. Amberly's dad woke up in the middle of the night to come tell me to go to bed because my laughing was keeping him up. Austin and I haven't stopped talking and laughing since. We were all on Fall break so Austin and Jake came over to Amberly's house a few days later to hang out. There was never a dull, uncomfortable moment between us. November 25, 2010 (Thanksgiving Day), he asked me to be his girlfriend. There was much debate about whether or not he should ask me over text. He kept saying that he wanted to ask me something and he just didn't know if he could wait until we saw each other again. So he asked, and I said yes.

After 8 years of dating, graduating high school, experiencing college together, starting a business, buying our first home, and having our beautiful baby girl, he FINALLY popped the question. September 21, 2018, my 23rd birthday. I was having an awful day at work and a not so good birthday so far. Austin texted me right before I left work and told me to call him when I left. On the phone he said that he had already picked up Millie from the sitter and told me to just come home. I figured it was just a sweet birthday gesture. When I got home I walked into a fully decorated house with balloons everywhere and the new area rug that I had begged for. He was acting strange and Millie was dressed in button up footie pj's (which she hates). He told me that she pooped everywhere and it was the first outfit he could grab after he cleaned her up. I picked her up and realized she was wearing something underneath the onesie. I really just thought it was going to be some type of "Happy Birthday Mommy" shirt. He was still acting all nervous and strange, so I laid her down to see what was going on. I unbuttoned the onesie and my eyes went straight to the sparkling ring attached to it. I then realized that the shirt underneath said "Mommy, will you marry my daddy? Love Millie." My heart dropped and I turned around to Austin down on one knee looking up at me.