Matthew and I met under the Friday night lights at a Forest High School football game. Going to the local high school football game was a regular Friday night tradition for all teenagers growing up in the small town of Ocala, Florida. We were both in middle school at this time and just casually said hey and that was it. Of course I was crushing right away, but I had to still "be cool". Maybe a year or so later, I ended up on the same volleyball team as Matthew's younger sister, Paige (who ended up being my best friend). From seeing Matthew here and there at our volleyball games, to several sleepovers at Paige's house, my crush on Matthew grew more and more. It wasn't until my Junior year and Matthew's Senior year of high school that I found out his feelings were the same and we made it "official". This time in our relationship was the start of many firsts as a couple. We went to our first prom together, I helped Matthew get ready to go off to college and have his first apartment, and we both started our first long distance relationship as he moved to Gainesville and I was still in Ocala finishing high school. Matthew and I ended up taking some time apart to give ourselves some space to grow in college. But you know how the saying goes "what is meant to be will always be", and that's exactly what happened by my Junior year and Matthew's Senior year of college (anyone sensing a trend here??) We ended up back together and have been inseparable ever since. So yeah, I still consider us high school sweethearts ;)

For those of you that don't already know, Matthew and I are basically already married when it comes to our families joining together. Our families have always been close as we both grew up in the same town and we have known each other for over 10 years. In December of 2019, our families decided to start a new tradition of turning Christmas into a vacation and spending it in the mountains of Blue Ridge, Georgia. We rented the most beautiful cabin that was large enough for both families to fit in. As if this trip alone wasn't perfect enough, Matthew decided to ask me to marry him while we were here. It was December 22nd and we were all dressed up about to go to dinner to celebrate Matthew's dad's birthday (shoutout Double D!!) Paige asked me to come out on the balcony and take some pictures with her since we both looked cute. After Matthew snapped about 500 photos for us, he casually suggested that him and I get a picture as well. I got in my usual pose next to him and didn't think anything of it. The next thing I know he's down on one knee with a red box in his hand. I wish I could say I remember every sweet word that he said, but instead all I remember was hearing "OH SH*T!" from my mom who was the only one in the family besides myself, who wasn't in on the surprise. Don't worry, it was a good "oh sh*t" LOL! After a bunch of happy tears and hundreds of pictures, we all took a party bus to the most adorable restaurant in downtown Blue Ridge and ate the most delicious meal in a private wine room. Matthew had dozens of roses and champagne waiting on the table when we got there. I don't know how I got so lucky! This was absolutely the best proposal I could ever ask for and the most memorable Christmas I'll ever have. What more can you ask for than spending the Holidays with those most important to you AND getting to say "yes" to marrying your best friend!!