The answer to this question usually starts with “well, we met in middle school!” But frankly, we never talked then. Jenn did, however, draw pink hearts over Alex’s head in her 7th grade yearbook *cue the awwwwwws*. We went to different high schools, but remained facebook friends. Years later, Jenn saw a video online of Alex singing and noticed he would be playing at a local rooftop bar that weekend. She invited friends to come along and had a wonderful time... but totally chickened when it came to talking to Alex! Instead she sent a message somewhere along the lines of “you sounded great tonight! I meant to say hey but you seemed busy!”. We continued talking and within a few weeks we were grabbing coffee on our first date together. We have been inseparable ever since!

When I say Alex did a great job with our engagement weekend, I truly truly mean it. And it took quite a village to make it happen! Long story short and lots of deviations from the plan later... Alex made plans for us to go backpacking at Amicalola Falls State Park on Friday, and Saturday we would and meet up with our friends Jordan and Jessie to hike and camp with them. We arrived at Amicalola and started trekking with our huge backpacks in tow. I kept noticing how much faster and far less out of breath Alex was and joked about how my short legs couldn't keep up. We hiked about 2 miles and much to my surprise, Alex stops at an overlook point and says "I think this is a good spot to stop". What?! I was prepared to go for at least 5 miles at this point, but I could tell something was up Alex's sleeve. We start setting up camp, I'm removing rocks and sticks and leveling the ground where our tent will go and I turn around to Alex on one knee. *Cue the tears* Alex had rented a cabin nearby that had sushi takeout and wine ready for us. Fun fact, Alex stuffed his backpack with pillows, fake flowers, and wine (maybe a 15 lb pack) and mine... well it weighed at least double. The next day we are preparing to meet Jordan and Jessie to camp as we had planned. We stopped for coffee in town and enjoyed the morning together before making the drive. Just when we were almost to the meet up site, Alex passed me a blindfold to put on. He walked me on a path and it was quiet as a mouse until he removed my blindfold and SURPRISE! some of our closest friends and family were there cheering us on. They put on an amazing day with great food, heartfelt champagne toasts, and warm company around the campfire that I will never forget.