We can’t wait to celebrate with you!

Our story starts with birth, as all stories do really. I (Shay) was at a birth and scrolling through my dating app and saw a cute guy with a nice beard and a good profile. So I messaged him. We chatted for a bit; I told him how we were on our third birth in three days and how it was dragging on so slowly. We were so exhausted and discouraged. Jonathan sent the sweetest, most encouraging prayer and scripture and though I got too busy to reply, in the back of my mind my interest was piqued. Several days later, at another birth, we matched again and he asked for my number. We texted a bit and I told him I had a day off coming up and while I was too tired to do much, he could come out to a bonfire. I also told him I would be carrying my gun and that I really didn’t have time to date but I wanted to meet him. Apparently he is really brave, though I found out later he was not sure what he was walking into! He ended up being super late, and spent the evening talking about a girl he liked that he was having trouble with. Really great first date stuff. We visited at the fire till I was falling asleep, said goodnight, and when I locked the door behind him I said to myself “I’m going to marry this man”. I even sent a few texts to my girls telling them that I was alive and that I met the man I was going to marry. He asked me to be his girl friend in December and I almost said no because he made me mad during the phone call. I’m glad I didn’t. We spent the next few months seeing each other as much as possible with my very unpredictable schedule. Then our lives were turned upside down a few short months later when we found out we were expecting a baby. Throughout that shock, a very hard pregnancy, and a very scary delivery and NICU baby, we have continued to choose each other. Through loss and grief, through learning how to parent while still learning each other, through building a house, and living with future in-laws, through the million curve balls that life has thrown at us in this very short time we have fallen deeper in love and have learned just what love looks like.

In February of ‘23, Jonathan proposed- in the most perfect Jonathan way, with a song, and of course I said yes. I knew from the moment he walked through my front door, we would be together. He picked the perfect ring and planned a wonderful winter beach getaway and almost convinced me to elope in Galveston!