We’re getting married!

We met through an dating app called Bumble. Our first conversation was about what Jesus means to each of us. From there, it led to some phone calls which then led to our first date at Pinewood Social. Abbie had lunch with her best friend Sierra the day she was supposed to meet Hunter for their first date and told her she wanted to back out. But heaven had another idea. Sierra convinced her to go and boy is she glad she did! Little did Hunter know at the time, He met the love of his life that night. He arrived early and stood in the front of the restaurant very nervously. When Abbie arrived, there was a familiarity about him that made her feel like she had always known him. Like a piece of home in a new face. Right away, Hunter was very attentive to her, practically laying out her options on the menu and helping her make a decision. For those of you that know, that in itself was a sure sign that he would be good for her. They ended the date overlooking the city at Love Circle, flipping through favorite songs in Hunter’s car stereo. These songs later ended up becoming a playlist the two created together as they fell in love over the next several months. By the end of the night, they knew they wanted to see each other again. Hunter became Abbie’s Saturday of her week. There hasn’t been one Saturday since the day they met they’ve been without each other. Saturday later became each full weekend, and eventually every day. Now it's going to be the rest of our lives until the end of time. God knew what He was doing from the start.

A month into dating, Abbie house-sat for a couple families over a weekend. She managed to lock herself out of their house with her phone and keys inside. No, there was no spare key in sight! You can imagine the horror Abbie felt as she began walking door to door down the street trying to find a neighbor that had a phone. She got down 7 houses on each side and stood looking up to God, praying He'd bring someone to get her home. Just then, a truck came driving down the street in the distance and she asked the man driving if she could use his phone. By the grace of God, this man loved Jesus and was coincidentally on his way to his church choir practice. This is the moment Abbie realizes she didn't have Hunter's number memorized so she called her dad in Iowa in a panic trying to figure out how to get a hold of someone to help her. Angels surrounded that car as Abbie hesitantly let the stranger drive her to the 2nd home she was sitting. Since it had a key code, she could at least get off the streets. Once there, she had to hang up the phone with her parents and trust them to get a hold of Hunter. At the time, they hadn't even exchanged numbers with Hunter or his parents. But praise God for Facebook. Hunter, being at NarrowGate, usually doesn't have cell service, but right when Abbie's mom messaged him, a miraculous cellular signal allowed him to see the message and get his parents to go to the rescue. Once back inside the house, Abbie was nearly in tears on the phone with Hunter. She couldn't believe she was now safe. Later that night, Abbie knew she had been holding something back from Hunter. The situation had really put a "you're not promised tomorrow" scare into her. She decided to forget all formalities of letting the guy say it first. She called him late and told him she loved him. Hunter was so taken aback because in that same night, he realized he felt the same. From there on out, it's been a multitudes of I love you's every single day.

Abbie's parents come to Nashville every year for her birthday. Little did Abbie know, Hunter had been scheming. At dinner on her birthday eve, Hunter tells her "Your parents already know this, but I made a dinner reservation for the two of us tomorrow night". Abbie, really quite delighted to hear he'd planned something special, kinda had a nudge something suspicious was going on. She thought to herself, "My parents are driving 650 miles to see me and you want to take me out, just us? This better be good". But she doesn't say that out loud. Curious, she asked if she should dress up, "like in a dress?" Hunter goes, "Yeah it seems like that kinda place." That night, Abbie is really starting to think this could be it! "My girlfriend days are about to end." She texts her best friend, Sierra, to see if she knew anything. And Sierra had quite the crafty way of acting like she had no idea- getting Abbie to a place of thankfulness for this season right now. The next day on the way to dinner, Hunter hands Abbie an envelope with a letter he wrote her. It had all sorts of memories and sentiments from the past year together. Then he starts to play a song through the car stereo called "Clear" by NEEDTOBREATHE. Abbie had never voiced the great meaning this song had to her and it was the first time she'd ever been with Hunter while it was played. Hunter starts singing along the words to her. This was a song he saw Abbie had posted on FB a few years back "Dear Husband, sing this to me and I might fall in love". They get to the restaurant which also happens to be a very fancy furniture shop with 4 levels. The top has an open terrace and indoor garden landscape. Hunter becomes extraordinarily assertive on where he wants to go. He took her to the top floor and to Abbie's surprise they walk up to rose petals in the shape of a heart with a bouquet. The next thing she knew Hunter was down on one knee and she said yes!