We met through mutual friends in pharmacy school (lookin' at you specifically, Jordan Mitchell!). Austin was in his first year, I was in my last. And I swear I'm not THAT much of a cougar despite the lies AG spews.. Austin claims he "fell in like" when he saw me through the smoky crowds at Tiptons in Johnson City, TN (and if you know Tiptons, you know I quite literally mean smoky) long before we actually started dating. As fate would have it, we ran into each other often throughout my last year in school until we went on our first date to see Mamma Mia at the Barter Theater in Abingdon, VA (his idea, not mine). Much to mutual friends demise, we were inseparable after that...

*Backstory* If you know Austin, you know he guards his heart and feelings well... If you know me, you know that I don't. I told ANY and EVERYone who would listen to me about how much I loved Austin but that he didn't love me. I was actually the most obnoxious human being to my entire family, HIS entire family, and our close circle of friends...updating them daily... "Day 207: he still hasn't said it yet" "Day 401: still no "L" word" "Day 493: you guessed it! Still not loved!!" He. just. would. not. say. it. The emotional trauma... *The Big Moment* We went to Charleston for Labor Day Weekend with our dear friend, Mick, who ended up being our unpaid photographer for the weekend. Austin planned for us to go to Boone Hall Plantation before going to dinner on Saturday night and told me before we got there, "this is going to be your favorite place ever". Looking back on this, I should have known something was up. You see, Austin and I don't fight often, but 99% of our fights revolve around us hating to plan things and wanting the other person to choose where we go, what we do, or what we eat. Well...he planned this ENTIRE DAY. Very suspect. (Also if you were wondering, the other 1% of our fights revolve around me eating half of his dinner because I still think it's cute to pretend I'm not hungry.) Anyways, after taking our millionth picture of the day (thanks, Mick) with the most beautiful backdrop at Boone Hall, he grabbed my hands and went on a very romantic, very unrehearsed monologue (the man can BS with the best of them). What I knew at the time is that he was FINALLY going to say "I love you" at the end of his award-winning speech. What I DID NOT KNOW is that he would drop down on his knee after that..... In true lady-like fashion, I said a few *choice* words because I genuinely thought he was kidding. 'Til he pulled out the ring...