I had just moved to Atlanta from Columbus, GA, and was staying with my brother & his wife while I searched for an apartment. While on Bumble, I saw a girl in a red Georgia Bulldog dress shaking a pom pom and thought “I wonder how she feels about Alabama football, but HOT DAMN!” The best thing that ever happened to me was we matched soon after. 😊 We met over chips, queso, and margaritas, and that’s still our staple meal almost six years later. She was extremely funny, down to earth, and had an infectious, beautiful smile. We talked about college, football, and most importantly… golden retrievers. I’ve loved her to the moon and back since. Let’s raise our glasses to Mexican food, Rose & Archie, Nick Saban, Kirby Smart, and margaritas. And to fate for swiping right to the best wife I could ever ask for!

After graduating from the University of Georgia, I moved to Atlanta to start my career in 2017. Coincidentally, Jordan had just moved to Atlanta after graduating from the University of Alabama. I’d been on dating apps for several months at this time, and when we matched on Bumble, I was tired of thinking of creative introductions. So, I just sent him “Hey Jordan! What’s up?” He replied, and we started messaging. In no time we had arranged our first date for the Friday before the Fourth of July. I had to leave the next morning to go visit my stepbrother in Austin with my mom, so I told Jordan I only had time for a drink or two, not dinner. Well, several missed calls later from my mom, who was expecting me to be home by then, Jordan and I were still sitting across the table from one another immersed in conversation. As we walked to our cars in the parking lot, we hugged, and when we pulled away, I thought Jordan was going to kiss me. He didn’t. So, I pulled him in and kissed him! The next day, my mom and I left to go to the airport to fly to Austin to see my stepbrother. My stepdad was already there because they were playing in a golf tournament. My mom and I were about 10 minutes from the airport when I realized I left my phone charging on the kitchen counter!! I started to panic and told my mom we HAD to turn the car around and go back home so I could get my phone! She said, "no, we’re too close to the airport to turn around", and that she’d buy me a “burner phone” from the airport, or that I could use her phone. As sweet as that offer was, I had just met Jordan and hadn't memorized his number. I told her that and said we had to turn around otherwise he would think I was ghosting him. I was almost in tears at this point. My mom begrudgingly agreed to turn the car around so long as I agreed to pay for new tickets if we missed our flight. I have never said “deal!” as fast as I did that day. Thankfully, my mom and I made it to the airport with just enough time to walk right onto the plane and into our seats by the time we made it through Atlanta security, which isn't always an easy task. Jordan and I texted all weekend and continued to learn more about each other and our shared interests, including some of our favorite bands. A text Jordan sent me that weekend included, “Blink-182 is one of the headliners for Music Midtown. We should go!” That had the wheels turning in my head and the butterflies fluttering in my stomach because Music Midtown was 3 months away and we had just met! So, he clearly liked me lol. We made plans to hang out when I got back from Austin for the Fourth of July. Jordan was staying with his brother, Brandon, and his girlfriend at the time (now wife), Amanda, until his friends from Alabama moved to Atlanta so they could rent an apartment together. Jordan asked if I wanted to hang out and assured me it would just be the two of us because Brandon and Amanda were shooting the hooch with friends. I agreed, but when I showed up, Brandon, Amanda, and their friends were also there! They got back early. Talk about an intimidating second date: meeting his brother and his brother’s soon-to-be fiancé! When Brandon and Amanda’s friends left, the four of us decided to go to Six Flags to watch the fireworks. Jordan is colorblind and used it to his advantage that night. Once the fireworks show started, Jordan leaned in close and said, “I’m colorblind. Will you tell me what colors the fireworks are?” It was at that moment that a piece of my cold heart started to melt, lol. I kid, but one of my best friends, Lindsey, likes to joke that I “have a big heart for dogs and a small heart for people”. To this day, you can find me lovingly asking Jordan what color something is.

In January 2022, Jordan and I took his parents to visit Athens for the first time. We were walking through North Campus, and when we got to the Founder’s Garden, I turned to Jordan and said “this would be a great place to propose.” Months came and went and I started to get anxious about when Jordan was going to propose. He didn’t want me to know when he was going to propose, so instead of visiting Athens on our anniversary, we went for a day trip a few weeks later (August 6, 2022). I knew from the moment we were getting ready that morning that Jordan was going to propose. He told me to make sure I wore makeup and that my nails were done - how straightforward is that!!! He was also VERY clear about the fact that we had to leave the house at 10 am. I asked if we could leave at 10:15 am, and he said no. Well, 50 minutes past when we were supposed to leave, I was finally ready to hit the road. Jordan was incredibly anxious because he thought the drive to Athens was an hour and forty-five minutes. It’s only an hour and ten minutes, so theoretically I was only 10 minutes late. We ate brunch at my favorite breakfast spot, and Jordan was so distracted. He was texting up a storm. After brunch, it was time for us to take a walk through North Campus. We parked downtown and started walking toward campus. We approached the Arch, and I thought Jordan may stop and propose there. He didn’t. We approached the Chapel, so I thought maybe he’ll propose at the Bell. The Chapel was blocked off because it was being renovated before the fall semester started that next week. My next thought was that Jordan was going to propose at the Fountain. As we approached the fountain, we noticed it was ALSO blocked off, and it was completely dry! In the six years I was a student at UGA for undergrad and grad school, I had never seen the Fountain completely dry. I’d seen it turned off for maintenance before, but never dry. Now, I’m thinking to myself “well, we’re basically out of ‘iconic’ spots on campus. Maybe he isn’t actually proposing???” I started to doubt myself. Right as I had convinced myself it wasn’t happening, we approached the Founder’s Garden, and my heart started racing. We walked into the Founder’s Garden, Jordan dropped down to one knee, held my hands, and asked me if I would marry him. It was perfect. We called family and friends to tell them, and EVERYONE knew it was happening !!! I couldn’t believe that all of them had kept this secret from me for so long. We decided to celebrate once we got back to Atlanta with some of our closest friends at Ridge and Christine's house. I knew there would be about 6-8 of us but that was it. Wow - was I wrong!! Jordan had coordinated an entire surprise engagement celebration, and there were close to 30 of our friends and family there waiting to celebrate with us!!! I have never been more surprised in my life than I was that evening. Everything was so special, and I’m incredibly thankful for Jordan’s thoughtfulness in organizing it all.