Grant and I first met in the summer of 2016. He was a counselor at SCFFA Camp in Cherry Grove, SC and I was at the camp for training. Our initial interaction was brief, but Grant swears he still remembers the exact outfit I was wearing. That fall was both of our first semesters at Clemson University. We ran into each other in the dining hall and I went in for a hug. He did not remember my name. Awkward... Fast forward to the spring semester and we are in the same major- Agricultural Education. We did not interact much, but I considered him one of my nice classmates. In the fall of 2017 Grant is in three of my six classes. As you can imagine we spent a good bit of time together. He became good friends with my best friend Audrey and she asked me what I thought about "that guy Grant". It was very wise of him to befriend someone that I trust who knew me so well. The day before Clemson won their 3rd ACC Championship in a row, Grant and I went on our first date. We were both very nervous but spent hours talking. As they say, the rest is history. Grant and I spent one summer being camp counselors together (he was my boss) and the next separated by a few thousand miles of ocean as I interned at Monet's Garden in France. I am so thankful for every moment that we have spent together. We are so excited to graduate from Clemson (Go Tigers!), begin our teaching careers, and start our lives together as husband and wife!

She knows me well, so I knew it would be extremely difficult to keep this a secret. In May I told her three sisters that we needed to set a date and choose the ring. As soon as Brooke was out of the country for an internship my mom and I headed to the jewelry store. The ring caught my eye immediately and I knew it was perfect for her. However, I certainly was smart enough to send several pictures to all the Feder sisters for approval. The original plan was to propose to Brooke the day of the Clemson Ring Ceremony. Both of our families would be able to be with us then. She would be dressed up without suspecting anything and willing to go to the Botanical Gardens for pictures after the ceremony, still in the daylight. However, just weeks before the ceremony I learned the start time had changed to the evening ruining my proposal plan. By a miracle, both of our families were able to come two weeks earlier and we scrambled for a new plan. It was a normal Sunday morning. We went to church with our friends and headed home. Brooke and I had made plans to get lunch together. We headed to McAlister's and while ordering the food I suggested we take it to-go for a picnic at Abernathy Park. This was pretty common for us but something we had not had the time to do yet this semester, so Brooke was excited but unsuspecting. Our friends Audrey and Bethany were hiding in the woods with a camera. The night before my roommate Joey and I had gone to the park with pruners to cut some branches for an unobstructed view to catch the perfect picture of the proposal. We had a prepared signal but then Brooke started talking about how excited she was for the future and I just couldn't wait any longer. I pulled the ring out of my wallet. She was very confused until she saw me getting down on one knee. We are so grateful that we were able to celebrate with family and friends after the proposal. It made the day that much more special. To everyone that helped make this day possible, thank you!