We’re getting married!

There are some differences of opinions when it comes to how we met. Bottom line is that our lives would've intertwined no matter what. You know that destiny and fate business - it's real! Without going into much detail (as we all know how small Lubbock really is), we had many mutual friends and acquaintances. This created many opportunities for our paths to cross. According to Hayden, we met a few weeks before I believe is our first meeting, at a popular Lubbock watering hole - Chimys! Now, not that I disagree with him at all, it's just that I don't remember that particular encounter (and if you know me, you know I have a terrible memory). How I remember first meeting my future fiance was, again, at a local watering hole on a busy night. I see this tall guy standing there in a group of people that I know - quiet with a serious look on his face, very handsome, wearing a Dallas Cowboys hat. I was sold! I immediately walked up to, who I thought was a stranger, and began to engage in a conversation about our favorite sports team. It wasn't long before we began discussing other commonalities we had. However either of us chooses to remember our first time meeting is irrelevant, because one thing that we agree on is that it was meant to be!

On a Friday hike through snow-filled mountains, we got engaged! What was disguised as a birthday hike for Hayden's friend, turned out to be the biggest surprise engagement! Don't get me wrong, the engagement itself was not a surprise as we are both adults in our late 20's building a life together - marriage talk was very much a part of our conversations. We even picked out the ring together - he is of course a guy, and I don't wear or own hardly any jewelry. So with all of this being known (that an engagement was coming with a ring we picked out together) I was still utterly and completely surprised! We started our hike with Hayden's sister and close friends, a little winded and slightly cold. We kept trying to make it to this lookout with a plaque as this was the halfway marker and an indication we were on the downhill. When we make it to this lookout, the view is spectacular. All you can see is acres of snow-covered trees all along the mountainside. Obviously pictures were a must. Hayden and I stand together, have some photos snapped of us, and I start to go on my merry way when I see Hayden go to the ground. My first thought was that he fell - he slipped earlier on the hike with such grace I was terrified he would fall off the side of the mountain. Nope! He had a ring box in his hand and asked me to marry him. After I confirmed he did not actually fall, and was indeed asking me to be his wife, I of course said yes! More photos were snapped, and the hike continued for another 2 miles. It was absolutely perfect!

When deciding on where to share our special day with our family and friends, we were torn. Not being from the same area of Texas presented a challenge for us. We want everyone we love to be able to attend our wedding. Would it be fair to make one family travel versus the other? Would people want to make the trip to a different state all-together? It didn't take long for us to decide on starting our lives together where it all began - Lubbock! That place holds many memories for us - some good, some bad, but all helped shaped us as a couple. Each experience we had in Lubbock brought us together. We grew as individuals, and along the way grew together without even realizing it. Lubbock holds a special place in our hearts, and we wouldn't want to officially begin our lives as one in any other place.