If you were to tell either of us 5 years ago that we'd not only end up dating, but also fall in love and be planning a life together, we would've laughed at you. Let's start with Shelby's perspective. (Hi, Shelby here) I think I first became aware of Nate just from him playing music in Lynchburg. He was 18, playing bass for his band, and I was noooot interested haha. I was 22, and definitely not looking to date a bebe. I always had a complex about dating someone younger so he was the furthest option from my mind. Did I think he was cute? Yes, guilty. But nonetheless, not interested. A couple years later, I moved in with my friend Samanthajo and her husband Blake, who happened to be best friends with Nate. You'd think this is where we start liking each other but nope, Nate was still a bebe, and we were both in relationships. I definitely got to know more about him and his character from seeing him more often, but again, getting together was the fuuurthest thing from my mind. Let's fast forward to Valentine's Day 2019. I hadn't seen Nate for about a year and a half (he even went to Thailand during some of that), and I look up at the counter of my favorite bar and see Nate. Well, maybe...I wasn't sure. I saw a very very very skinny version of the Nate I knew, but I didn't want to say hi and risk it being a stranger...so I slid in those DM's to double check. We ended up making a plan to get together and catch up. I remember telling my sister at the time "I really hope he doesn't think this is a date," and then coming out of our time together saying "I think I have a crush on him." I only emphasized how not interested I was in the beginning to emphasize how getting together threw me for a whirlwind in the most amazing way. I still can't believe how God brought us together, but I'm eternally thankful for the man I'm going to marry on October 23rd. Hey, its Nate. Shelby did a good job describing the early days of our friendship and then relationship. I too was shocked when our feelings for each other developed. We've experienced a lot of each other in the 3 years that we've been together. We've seen each other soar over adversity, and crumble underneath it. We've cried with each other almost as much as we've laughed with each other. I speak for both of us when I say that we wouldn't trade a single triumph, failure, laugh, or tear for anything. It is through all of these things that we have developed our foundation. A foundation that we can rely on for years to come. A foundation we can rely on amidst the highest mountains and the lowest valleys of life. Anyways, enough sappy stuff. Lets get hitched.