Way back in 2022, Justin and Rachel first met at a post church dinner- both trying to meet new friends. Justin's first distinct memory of talking to Rachel was learning that she was a missionary in China, loved living in California, and had family in Alaska. Apart from being well traveled, a strong Christian, and possibly crazy for saying that she liked living in Los Angeles, Justin thought that Rachel was very pretty. She may have had a heightened fashion sense that Justin didn't quite possess, but he knew that she was beautiful. Justin wondered if a girl that stunning could be as beautiful on the inside. Rachel thought that Justin seemed, well.... young. With his Clemson polos, floppy fro and sometimes questionable sense of humor, Rachel assumed he was a fresh college grad with much more to learn. Rachel and Justin would go on to become good friends and so much more...

Rachel, being the traditional picture of grace and beauty that she is, knew her worth, and knew that she was worth a chase. Justin, on the other hand, was not confident in his ways with women, and was scared to make a move because he fears risk. Justin was taking his time to learn what kind of person Rachel was, and Rachel was patiently waiting for Justin to take the plunge. Then a large leap forward in the relationship occurred one fateful night. It was a night like any other Tuesday, going to play trivia with friends at Fiddlin' Fish. After trivia, Justin and Rachel had parked near each other. Justin, being a quintessential gentleman, was waiting in his car to see that Rachel would embark safely (this was not his typical fashion, but he did for some reason that night and it could have made all the difference). Unbeknownst to the future couple, Rachel's car key battery had died. Justin, seeing that the car wouldn't start, sprung into action. He and Rachel began a journey to Walmart to find a new car key battery. Rachel and Justin had never been alone before, but they were beginning to realize they had a lot in common. After this quest was completed, Justin offered to help Rachel with car problems if she ever had any (even thought he doesn't know that much). Lo and behold, Rachel came up with a flat tire the very next week. With a recent charming young man on her mind, she called her mom and asked what should she do. Rachel said that Justin had offered to help whenever she needed, but told her mom "this guy is probably just going to think I'm hitting on him." Rachel decided to take the risk and ask Justin for help. Like a knight in shining armor, Justin rode in on his bronco to save Rachel yet again. After the problem was solved, Rachel politely asked Justin if he would like to stay for dinner as a thank you. Justin, respectfully declined thinking that a gentleman doesn't need repayment... Rachel assumed he was definitely not interested.

After a time of waiting and texting about cars, cous cous and the medical field, Justin finally asked Rachel out on June 11, 2023. They went on put-put dates, picnic dinner dates, rock climbing dates, and enjoyed cooking together. Now that Justin and Rachel were finally dating, she could try to push him out of his comfort zone. Even though they were not officially boyfriend-girlfriend, Rachel had asked Justin to come to the beach for a weekend with her family so that he could meet everyone. Justin was uncomfortable but went anyways. After a first kiss involving a shooting star, dreaming about a future, and lots of overthinking, Justin and Rachel finally were officially dating Sept 1, 2023. And that next day, Rachel got to meet all of Justin's family at the dove shoot. It was then that Justin began to realize that Rachel had a country side to her...

Justin and Rachel had went ring shopping and put down a deposit in 3 days. Rachel knew that the ring was on the way, and decided to turn off access to Justin's location to ruin any surprises. Unknown to Rachel, Justin had got the ring custom made and it was going to be just under the wire for the yearly family beach trip. They both thought that this would be a good time to get engaged, but couldn't say so much since it would damped any surprises. Having not heard anything on the Friday before leaving, Justin called the jeweler to see if the ring was in. It was! With all the speed he could muster, he raced over to the jeweler. He immediately texted Sandy that "the package was acquired", and that the proposal would happen on Sunday night (because Justin thought Rachel was expecting it to be Saturday). Come Sunday, July 20, 2025, Justin knew that Rachel loves to go on walks after dinner, particularly at the beach. Dinner time rolls around and it was getting kind of late. Sandy, Leah, and Edwin all knew the plan, but Rachel was milling around seeming anything but in a hurry. Everyone was looking at Justin, seeing what the next move would be. But he wanted Rachel to suggest going on a walk so that he wouldn't arouse suspicion. Then, the tables turned, Rachel walks out her room and asks if anyone wants to walk for 5 minutes. Justin, cool as a cucumber, said of course he would walk with her. The rest of family, playing along, said they were tired or didn't want to get sandy again. SUCCESS! The plan was in motion. Justin and Rachel start their walk, which lasted much longer than 5minutes. After they return, Justin asked Rachel if she would like to sit outside on the stairs and chat, like they did 2 years ago for their first kiss. In the midst of talking about their relationship and future, Justin gets down on one knee and asks Rachel if she would marry him (he cries a little bit). SHE SAID YES!!!

Justin moves into a new apartment to start CAA school at VCOM in Spartanburg come early September. Rachel has accepted a new job on the faculty at Greenville Tech in the Medical Laboratory Technology program, as she realized her favorite parts of blood bank were when she was teaching students. They are bracing for a whole lot of change all at once, but know that together, they can accomplish and support each other through anything. After spending more time closer to Rachel's friends and family in NC, we are moving closer to Justin's friends and family in SC. (let the "better Carolina" wars continue) We are excited to see what God brings our way in the early years of our marriage- what He has already prepared us for in getting to know each other, and what He still has to teach us. We humbly plead for your prayers and support as we go through these (very good and exciting!), but big shifts in our lives and relationship! We cannot wait to celebrate with YOU in November!!