In late September of 2019, Jerrod and I met after playing against each other in intramural volleyball. Our mutual friend, Keith, was on the same team as Jerrod. Sidenote: Jerrod would be upset if I failed to mention that his team beat mine that night. Afterward, Keith invited Jerrod to GADS (donut shop) with the rest of my team. Although we didn’t talk much that night, I knew something was there. Keith passed along my number and Jerrod and I talked pretty much every day after that. We hung out all the time, with our friends and just with each other. You’re probably thinking “Wow, they’ve been dating for close to 3 years now”. However, that is not the case. I had just gotten out of a relationship and proceeded to “friend-zone” him for a whole year. In this year, Jerrod became my best friend. He was so intentional in getting to know me and he’s one of the best listeners I know. We had so much fun together and the level of commitment he showed me during that year blew me away. I told him we were just friends and he always felt we would be more than that, so he stayed. When he asked me out a year later, I hesitated. I was worried that if it didn’t work out I would lose my best friend. The foundation of trust and friendship we had built is what allowed me to say yes in October 2020. Now let’s back up 2 years. August 2018. Jerrod and I met for the first time. You might be confused, so let me explain. Kayleigh and I were in our first week at WKU at a show one night. These two guys came in late and sat behind us. They kept asking us questions about what they had missed and what was happening now. At the end of the show, they asked for our Snapchats. This was not uncommon as it was the first week and everyone was trying to make friends. Kayleigh not having a Snapchat and me being in a relationship, we both declined and went our separate ways. Come to find out, those two nosy boys behind us were Jerrod and his friend Dalton, we just didn’t make that connection until after we started dating 2 years later. Now Jerrod would not want me to leave anything out, but let’s be real, y’all don’t have all day. Fast forward to January 2022. Jerrod and some of his friends signed up to race in an Ironman. If y’all know me at all you know that I don’t ever choose to run. If I’m running something is probably wrong. So when I found out this race was in Sarasota in the middle of January, you bet I had to join. By join, I mean go to the beach–as we established that I don’t run. A few more friends tagged along which made for such a fun trip. Leaving Kentucky in the dead of winter to go to the beach was one of my better decisions. One of my best decisions though was saying yes when Jerrod asked me to marry him!! He set up the sweetest proposal on the beach with our friends there to celebrate. All of this to say, I can so easily see God’s provision and love for me through Jerrod and I’s story. God’s timing was always better than mine. He gave me the sweetest gift when I least expected it. I was in a pretty rough season when Jerrod and I met in 2019. But God… He had far better plans for me than I could have ever had for myself. He knew that Jerrod would love me well when I needed to feel loved the most. It wasn’t a selfish love. It was a love that didn’t care to just sit and listen. A love that didn’t walk away and always showed up. Jerrod reminds me so much of Jesus in how he cares for me and others around him. I’m so lucky to get to marry my best friend and my true love. Life with J is full of joy and adventure and I can’t wait to see what’s to come.

This is one of my favorite stories to tell and I can go on and on about all the specific details about how we got to where we are today. Feel free to ask specifics about it when we see each other! August 25th, 2018 is the very first time we met (technically). I was running a little late to the hypnotist show that Western hosted during the Master Plan event and I ended up sitting behind the most beautiful woman in the world. Of course I had to try and put some moves on her so I tried getting the conversation started by asking what was going on and what I missed. This surprisingly had little effect and she did not seem too interested at the time. I decided to shoot my shot and asked her for her digits and I was quickly shot down. Fast forward to September 23, 2019 at Preston Center gym on campus. Some ROTC buddies and I formed a volleyball team and were on a winning streak (obviously). We faced off against another team that night and was able to barely scrape by with the win. Afterwards Keith Contreras invited me to grab some donuts. I wasn't really interested, but Keith did not really give me an option, so I went… Immediately upon arriving, there was a beautiful woman that caught my eye immediately and I seemed to have caught her eye as well. After making googly eyes at each other all night we were able to exchange contact information with the help of the match maker himself, Keith Contreras. Spoiler Alert**** The woman from the Head to the Hill event, volleyball game, and donut shop was the one and only Grace Olivia. From that point forward we hung out all the time and got to know each other really well. I was ready to move forward in our relationship and begin dating, but Grace Olivia had other plans. We did not begin dating until October 10, 2020 and got engaged January 10, 2022. It was definitely worth the wait. Grace Olivia is the woman of my dreams and I cannot wait to spend the rest of my life with her. I love you Grace.