We're getting married!

We met all the way back in High School, if you can believe it. He was a junior and I was a freshman when we met. Our high school was playing our biggest rivals in basketball, so most of the school was in the student section that night. I planned on sitting with my friends after my varsity team finished playing. Donnie and his friends had made a last minute decision to come and watch the game as well. A while after the game had started, Donnie and his friends came and sat right in front of my friends and me. Unfortunately, at this point I was on crutches from breaking my ankle playing basketball. Against my better judgement and my dad's warning, I sat in the rowdy student section anyway. After a random exciting point in the game, the student section went crazy! The next thing I know, the guy I had been looking at all night fell on top of me, knocking me off my crutches, and landing us both straight onto the bleachers. He helped me up and apologized profusely. We introduced ourselves and from that point on, we were best friends. We were friends all throughout high school before finally dating in 2016. The rest is history!

The most special day! In May of 2020 I graduated from my undergraduate program at Samford University. However, because of the pandemic, Samford cancelled all in person commencement ceremonies. We weren't even allowed to go to campus to take pictures in our cap and gowns. After working so hard for the past 4 years, I was really disappointed by this. To make up for it, Donnie, my sister Elizabeth, and I decided to get all dressed up and go take graduation pictures anyway. At the very last minute, Donnie told me he had to go into work (on a Saturday..?). Elizabeth and I went and took pictures anyway. As we arrived back at my parent's house to drop her off, my dad lead me to the backyard to find the entire patio decorated in Samford colors and my local family and friends sitting in the "audience." I made my way to the front to see 4 iPads that Donnie had borrowed from work and all of my extended family that couldn't be there on facetime. My crazy family had a whole fake graduation ceremony planned out, with speeches and programs and everything. At the very end, I got up to thank everyone and was told to open my fake diploma. On the inside of the diploma were the words "Courtney Hayhurst, Will you marry me?" I looked down to see Donnie on one knee and I immediately burst into tears. Not only was he sweet enough to give me the best graduation I could ask for, but he made me the happiest person in the entire world!