I met Austin in October of 2017 when I went to Lubbock for a Texas Tech football game and to visit two of my best friends, Alex and Chelsea. Alex and I stopped by her now fiancé's house on the way to the game, and when we walked in the door, Austin was sitting on the couch (he was Alex's fiancé's roommate, but I was unaware that this was a set up). Alex went into the kitchen, leaving me in the living room with Austin. I don't remember who spoke first or what we said to each other, but I knew something felt right. Later that night, Alex, Chelsea, and I went to Local, a popular bar on Broadway, and Austin came out with us. He asked for my number and we went to Whataburger. The next morning, as I was eating breakfast with Chelsea before leaving town, I told her, "I'm pretty sure I met the guy I'm going to marry last night, and I heard the song we will dance to at our wedding on the way to breakfast." I'm pretty sure she thought I was crazy. In January, he drove to Dallas and we went on our first date, but it would be another 16 months before we started dating. In March of the next year, I had just returned from a trip to Iceland, and Austin text me to ask how it went. I realized then that he truly was the person I was meant to be with, and on May 4, 2019, I drove to Midland for our second first date. The rest is history!

Austin and I had been planning a joint family vacation to Costa Rica in July of 2020. Unfortunately, due to COVID, that trip was cancelled, and we were forced to come up with a backup plan. Since Austin's sister, brother-in-law, and niece live in Oregon, my parents and Austin's parents decided to all travel there. The day after we arrived, we were celebrating Austin's niece's first birthday. Charlotte enjoyed her birthday cake and unwrapped her gifts. She got to the very last present, which was from Austin. She unwrapped a box, and Austin took it from her. The box contained my ring. He got down on one knee, surrounded by our families, and asked me to spend the rest of my life with him. Charlotte's final gift was a new aunt.