I had just moved to Dallas and my best friend Kyleigh was adamant on finding me someone who her and her fiancé Garret could go on double dates with. She told me she was going to set me up on a blind date and I told her she was crazy and I definitely was not going to do that. Russell ended up ruining the "blind" part of it shortly after and DM'd me on instagram. I didn't think much of it until I realized we were sending novels to each other and getting deep over texting without ever officially meeting. I started to know something was special about him. We went on our first date and instantly hit it off as if we had known each other for years. COVID hit a few months after and we spent so much time together. We became best friends and I got to know him on a very deep level. We even ended up realizing we have very similar thoughts and would LITERALLY finish each others sentences. It got so bad we wouldn't say "oh my gosh I was just about to say that" anymore, we would just tap our nose and we knew. One of the most special parts of our story to me is knowing God had placed us in that exact moment to get to know one another in a way we never would have in an other circumstance. Not only did I see him as a bestfriend, but I fell in love with him. Hard. On May 22, 2021 we celebrated our anniversary and what is my sweetest memory of us thus far. Russ got down on one knee with our puppy we had been waiting for for what felt like forever, and proposed to me to be his best friend and love forever. It was the easiest yes of my life.

When I saw Kathryn for the first time there was no doubt, she was it. Kathryn walked out to my truck for our first date and absolutely took my breath away. We had messaged quite a bit before we met in person, and through those messages I felt like we genuinely connected on deep level that made the first time we saw each other more of a relief than an introduction. As we grew closer in the coming months, we had the COVID shut down to thank for the time we got to spend with one another just talking and getting to know what we each truly wanted and were looking for in a partner. We both put God at the center of our lives and continued to want to be pushed and challenged spiritually to be the best person we could for one another with the gifts He gave us. We both also truly wanted to be happy and in a relationship with a foundation of friendship. I could not get enough time with Kathryn, it was hours and hours of talking before we both realized we had to say goodbye for the night. The more and more I learned about her and the aspirations she had just made me fall more and more in love with her. By the Grace of God Kathryn was placed into my life, and as we dated, I knew I wanted to be her husband and never miss a day of being by her side. So on May 22nd of 2021, (with a lot of help) I put a puppy in a box and asked her to be my wife, best friend, and teammate through anything that life throws at us.. and she said yes 😊

Russell & Kathryn officially became a couple on May 22nd in Fredericksburg, TX. Once he decided that Kathryn was the one, there wasn't any hesitation to make the proposal happen on the same day, in the same city, but he wasn't sure how. A few months before the proposal, they were told that the mom of the litter they were going to get a puppy from was pregnant, & the puppies would be available for pick up on May 22nd. God works in mysterious ways! Instantly, Russell began to plan around this. As the date approached, he was tricking Kathryn left & right, making sure she would have no idea what was going to happen. They had made a plan with the breeder to pick Luna up the following Thursday since they were going to be in Fredericksburg that weekend. Little did Kathryn know, Russell & the breeder were working behind the scenes to get his sister Mallory to go pick Luna up & bring her to the proposal. May 22nd came, & Kathryn and Russell were bouncing around Fredericksburg as best as they could. It was TORRENTIAL raining all day & before dinner, they decided to go home & change into fresh clothes since the ones they were in had gotten drenched. The rain stopped, & they headed off. They parked, got out of the car, & began walking to the restaurant when Russell heard a dog crying. He made a comment about it, but Kathryn brushed it off because they were "late" to their dinner reservation & there were many houses around them, so she thought it was in a backyard. The crying kept going & Russell made another comment & acted very concerned. They then started searching for the crying. She noticed a basket in a gazebo and she screamed to Russell "someone left a puppy in a basket!' thinking someone had dumped a dog. She opened the basket to see what was inside, realized it was Luna after a few seconds of staring, & finally realized what was happening. Russell dropped to one knee with Luna by their side & proposed to Kathryn. Through many happy tears, she said yes.