There she was... tall, beautiful, not really athletic, but that's okay because she is a genius. She was a hot commodity amongst the guys, as most had a crush on her. I was getting some signals, making me confident I might had a shot. I was a little nervous, but shooters are going to shoot and I was going to ask her out on a date. As I walk in, there she was….. Emerson Stites. Yeah, I asked out Mollie's best friend in college before we dated. But in my defense, all roads led back to where we are now, engaged and soon to be married. I had asked Mollie to help me plan a date for Emerson and during the time Mollie and I spent setting up the date, sparks started to fly, and I quickly knew I was in trouble. Long story short, it is safe to say Emerson and I were better off as homies and homies we are. As Emerson went on to date her now husband, Jonathan, Mollie and I remained in touch. Sooner than later, I asked Mollie to grab ice cream with me at Sonic. Bold move, I know, but I told you, shooters are going to shoot. We would soon start dating shortly after. Unfortunately, Mollie and I did not last long dating the first round so we paused things for a bit. However, after numerous “accidental” run ins and ongoing conversations of Mollie making excuses as to why we wouldn’t work, I finally won her over. On April 24, 2022, we started round two of dating and never looked back. Only then did we realize the commitment that was going to come with us dating as Mollie graduated A&M and moved to Dallas while I stayed in College Station to finish my graduate program. We learned how to date with what we thought was considered long distance for a year until one day I got a call that I had been selected for a job in Virginia. June of 2023 Mollie and I drove up to Virginia and then began the true test of long distance. I don’t know what people are on when they say long distance gets easier with time, but that could not be further from the truth. Mollie and I dated between Dallas and Virginia for over a year, seeing each other a month at time. We made the most out of what we could with the weekends we saw each other, but airport goodbyes are not for the faint of heart. Fast forward to August 2024, I am now living in Austin and Mollie is living back at home in Anson. I had told Mollie we were going to a Zach Bryan concert in Atlanta, Georgia only to surprise her by getting her on a flight to Asheville, North Caroline. It was there I got down on one knee and asked Mollie to be my best friend and partner for life. Luckily, she said yes! Yes to us being on mission for the Lord together for the rest of our days and yes to kicking long distance goodbye. Thank you to everyone who has been there for us throughout many season and will continue to support us as we step into this next season of marriage. To sum up the story of Mollie and I, I’ll say it again and again, it is not how you start, it’s how you finish.