People always say love finds you when you least expect it, and I never believed that until Breck. We had worked together for over two years at Knox Area Rescue Ministries, passing each other almost daily, both fully convinced the other was married. Then Breck got a promotion, and our jobs suddenly pushed us together. I had to teach him everything I knew in the accounting world, and before long it felt like he was making up excuses to come see me. One day he even asked me to take his blood pressure—which was extremely high—so high that I told him to see a doctor and make sure his wife held him accountable. That’s when we learned we were both single-everything shifted. Over time, he kept coming to see me and doing the sweetest little things. Our friendship grew naturally, and even though he wasn't my “type,” I would catch myself thinking about him after work and wondering why. From the very first time we hung out outside of work, our chemistry was off the charts. Breck brought out a softer side of me I didn’t even know was there. After losing my brother, I had felt incredibly alone—but with Breck, I never felt that again. It still amazes me how different we are, yet how perfectly we match. We hung out for a few months before anything was official. Then one night at my best friend’s—now our mutual friend’s—house, the topic of commitment came up. Breck said something that made it sound like he thought we were already monogamous, me not so much. In the cutest, silliest way, my best friend made him officially ask me to be his girlfriend, almost like a grade-school “check yes or no” moment. Corny? Absolutely. Perfect? 100%. On September 27, 2024, our love story officially began. A few months later, we both just knew this was forever. We started talking about marriage, wedding plans, and our future together. We knew we wanted a spring wedding—avoiding football in the fall, avoiding winter cold and summer heat. May stood out immediately. I started looking at venues and trying to imagine what our future might look like. We agreed we’d get engaged in fall-25 and married in early to mid-26. I found a venue I loved, but the exact date I wanted was booked already. I sent Breck a “don’t freak out” text—which never means anything good—and told him why I suddenly needed to start looking at venues. Even though we weren’t engaged yet (and our parents had just found out we were talking about marriage), Breck was calm, sweet, and supportive. He encouraged my mom and me to go look, and when I did… I fell in love with the place. When I went to Breck’s house that Friday night, I walked in smiling ear to ear. He already knew I was set. He was ready to sign the contract sight-unseen just to make my wedding dreams come true. But I wanted us to make the decision together—so I might have bribed our coordinator to let us drop in during a tour the next day with other brides so he could see it too. I told myself I’d book the venue and wait on everything else until we were engaged. Ha… that didn’t last. Two weeks later, the wedding was basically planned. Breck always says, “You know the child’s book If You Give a Mouse a Cookie? That’s you and wedding planning.” It’s not wrong—but looking back, I wouldn’t change a thing. I knew Breck already had the ring (wink wink—I may have helped pick it out). Everyone teased him, reminding him it was fall and telling him to hurry up and propose. But he was determined to catch me off guard and make sure it was truly fall. On October 11, we planned a simple day—just a drive to Cades Cove to see the leaves changing. Breck already had a plan. On top of the Foothills Parkway fire tower overlook, he asked me to spend forever with him. All I remember saying at first was “thank you.” Later we laughed, thinking I hadn’t actually said yes. Thankfully, in his perfectly executed plan, the random girl videoed the whole moment confirmed the YES came first. Honestly… have you seen my ring? A “thank you” felt appropriate.