James and Whitney crossed paths at a day party at Guilford College during the famous "Serendipity" week. In the months to come, there were a few quick hellos at the bar and/or James trying to grab Whitney's attention by offering to buy her a drink. Of course, she accepted, said thanks, and headed off to join her girlfriends. :) Although nothing came to fruition at that time, James and Whitney went on to live out the remainder of college and began their professional careers, keeping up with each other's lives through social media. Over the years, James would reach out to Whitney once a year or so just to see how she was doing. Both would respectfully wish each other well and continue on. When timing finally aligned for both, the reconnection was almost instantaneous. On July 5, 2021, James responded to an online photo Whitney had posted, and the rest was history. They would later say that the conversation picked up without missing a beat. Through constant communication, FaceTiming, and photos of the cutest puppy in the world, Bella, Whitney and James hung out for the first time and quickly decided to give a relationship a try. Although Whitney was living in Concord at the time, she and James made it a priority to see each other every week. There were a lot of miles put on I-85 and I-40 during those seven months. After they had enough of the long distance, James decided to purchase his first home and asked Whitney to move in with him. Whitney, James, and Bella (of course) have loved living in Cary, NC, where they can walk to breweries, dog parks, and restaurants just down the street. In December 2023, James casually mentioned to Whitney that they were going on a trip to the beach for New Year’s and to "pack a few nice outfits and don't ask any questions." If you know Whitney, you know that's the last thing she's going to do—so naturally, all of her closest friends and family were aware of what was going to take place. Thankfully, she was right and made sure to get her spray tan and nails done prior to the big event. On December 27, 2023, James asked Whitney to marry him, and now they are so excited to host all of their closest family and friends on their wedding day. Whitney and James have always talked about a destination wedding, as they both have a love for travel that has bonded them since the beginning of their relationship. They look for any opportunity to include their loved ones in those memories.