In August of 2013, we were both eagerly awaiting our junior and senior years at UT Arlington. Ryan had just transferred to play baseball, and Avery had been vigilant to fill her time with broadcasting internships. It was the weekend before school started, and Avery was leading an effort to sell “All Sports Passes” at UTA’s student center when they spotted each other. Ryan says, "Avery Anderson had beautiful blue eyes and an infectious personality that drew many people to her". And Avery says, "Ryan Bottger had a strikingly handsome smile and surfer-like blonde hair". Over the course of the next couple of months, we became good friends. In October we went on our first date to an Italian restaurant, Uno, in Ft. Worth and afterward, we went to a local park to star-gaze, drank hot apple cider, and talked for hours. Both quickly became smitten. Fast forward to the spring of 2014, and Ryan continued to pursue Avery. We made it official on April 5th. Little did either one of us know where God would place us as we were both chasing our dreams professionally. In June of 2014, Ryan was drafted by the Houston Astros and was soon shipped off to NY to play baseball. The long-distance began. It was in August when Avery went to visit Ryan and watched him play, and Ryan told Avery he loved her right outside the Quad City International airport in Moline, IL. She quickly said it back. Soon after, it was Avery's turn to leave the Dallas area and went west to Abilene, Texas to begin her TV career. In the course of three and a half years, we each lived in nine cities combined. In 2017, we both moved back to Dallas and soon saw the Lord work in our lives, both individually and as a couple, in a way we weren’t expecting. Looking back now, we are immensely grateful for it. One thing is most certainly true, God is sovereign and in control of all things. His timing is perfect. Our prayer is that God’s grace, faithfulness, and glory is evident in our marriage and story.

When it came to our proposal, there were a few things I was absolutely sure of: It was going to be outside in a pretty area surrounded by trees. There needed to be many flowers present. And the moment must be captured by video and/or pictures. Not to mention, I knew Avery’s “dream date” involved Five Sixty by Wolfgang Puck at Reunion Tower and a night capped off by a horse-drawn carriage ride in downtown Dallas. Most importantly, she had to say YES! What she didn’t know at the time was that I'd always wanted to save her “dream date” for this specific occasion. The day was Saturday, August 31, 2019. If you know anything about Texas in August, you know it can be quite toasty. As it turned out, God blessed me with an uncharacteristically cool day (the high was 75 degrees). I decided to have one of our friends, Courtney Ruggles, take her to brunch. While they were eating, I was setting up the proposal site along Johnny Broyle's Nature Trail. With the help of some of our close friends, Jordan, Steve, and Amanda, I set up a series of notes to Avery and a vase filled with flowers to accompany each one. Courtney came up with a great ploy to lead Avery to this trail. Once she stepped onto the trail, she saw the first of five vases. This gave her the opportunity to enjoy the flowers and read a note that told her how much I love her. All the while, I was waiting eagerly by the water to soon see my gorgeous future bride come out of the opening of the trees. I walked her down toward the water, told her how much I love her, and asked her to marry me. She said YES! And I was finally able to put that ring on her finger! It was the closest thing to perfect that I have ever experienced. After celebrating with our families, I took Avery on her "dream date". I feel extensively blessed by God that He saw fit to weave the whole day together as seamlessly as He did. I’m so thankful for my incredible Avery Leigh, who will soon be my wife, and we could not be happier!