We matched on a dating app right before NYE in 2020. Jared had a profile pic that undersold how handsome he was/is, but a bold tagline: “Do you believe Jesus is Lord?” That got my attention. I remember thinking “this guy is either really intense, or pretty efficient in weeding out potential dates…” and I was intrigued to find out which. I was a stickler for taking things slow, and after a few weeks of talking, we went on our first date to a local Thai restaurant - we both love Asian food, especially Thai. And on that 3-4hr date, we shared our testimonies - both laughter and tears ensued. That’s pretty much when we thought, "Okay. This could be something." We haven’t looked back!

2.5 years later (told ya I was a slow mover), my family, Jared, and I went camping in Yellowstone National Park. Jared had planned to propose there - and can ya blame him? Except we were always with my family and had little time to ourselves. I was wondering when he would be getting down on one knee, but focused on letting those thoughts pass so I could be present in one of the most beautiful places on this side of heaven. Finally, towards the end of our stay, most of the guys hung back from going on a horseback-riding excursion, which gave Jared the perfect timeframe to plan his proposal for that evening. Under the ruse of needing to walk off our dinner (and me almost not going because dusk was when bears seemed to be more active…), he took me to a place he had seen earlier on his “run,” (he did actually go on a run, but with motives other than getting fit ☺️). We walked (and talked loudly to scare away any bears 🫣) to a small, private alcove looking over Yellowstone Lake with the Absaroka mountain range in the background - this was a sweet addition; we had been wanting to visit Absaroka following our bonding over one of our favorite shows: Longmire. He looked out over the lake through his binos, and then handed them to me so I could get a good look at the mountains. But then he stopped responding to my comments and I thought something was up. I turned around to find him on one knee, holding a gorgeous ring. I shouted "I KNEW IT!," (and also “yes”…) and we were engaged! We walked back to camp (and might have taken a wrong turn…) and got to celebrate with my family (and really no one else because we had no service in the park!). And now we’re here, and are excited to celebrate this next chapter in our lives with you. See you in DFW!