Who would’ve thought a Facebook Dating match in April 2024 would lead us here? Definitely not us. We matched in early April and met for our first date a couple of weeks later—dinner on April 25. Truthfully? Neither of us thought there’d be a second date. Gabe would say it was because I "didn’t take care of my hair" (spoiler: he didn’t know about my psoriasis journey—funny now). I’d say it was because he came off a little too blunt for me... which, if you know me, is exactly what I need to keep me in line. But something shifted. Gabe’s steady pursuit of my heart was like nothing I’d ever experienced. He made me feel 100% safe and secure—and that’s when I knew this was different. Something real. Something special. Since then, we’ve shared countless laughs, deep conversations, and adventures. We love to travel and are already building traditions we’ll carry into our future family. Most importantly, our relationship is rooted in our faith—growing closer to each other as we grow closer to Christ. Fast forward to the proposal... On June 21, Gabe told me to be ready to leave the house at 8:30 a.m. When I asked why it had to be so early, he simply said, “Well, you don’t like sweating, so we’re going early.” (Fair.) He didn’t tell me where we were going. During the drive, I asked again. He pointed at the GPS and said, “Babe, we’re going right there.” The GPS showed nothing but a straight line on 75... not exactly helpful. Meanwhile, someone named *Casey Crow* kept texting him. My nosy self Googled the name—turns out, he’s a photographer. Cue my *internal* freak-out. But I stayed quiet. We arrived at the Dallas Arboretum and started walking. And walking. And sweating. Every so often, Gabe would stop, hold my hands, say the sweetest things about our future together... then say, “Okay, let’s keep walking.” He juked me out FIVE times. On the sixth, he finally dropped to one knee and asked me to be his wife. That’s when Casey popped out of the plants and started snapping pictures—because Gabe *understood the assignment* from months earlier when I said I needed a photographer to capture our moment. I jokingly said, “Hmm, I don’t know,” and Gabe, sweating and nervous, said, “Girl, don’t play with me—I’m sweating!” Of course, I said yes. A million times yes. We are so excited to start our life together—forming a family, building traditions, and keeping Christ at the center of it all. We will be living in Abilene, TX and covet your prayers as we navigate this new season of life!