We're so excited to celebrate with you!

We actually used to work together! At Triad in Tampa, FL, there was a photo shoot happening downstairs and they were asking people who worked there to participate. It just so happens that Karl and I were both there. He remembers approaching me and introducing himself; and while I don't remember this specific moment, I remember always seeing him in the hallways and cafeteria. We were always friendly. Talking about photography and spirituality. The last time I ran into him at work was on my last day at Triad when I told him I was leaving to pursue another opportunity. As the story goes, four years would go by and we wouldn't speak.

Four years later, I found myself single and pursuing God wholeheartedly. Karl took notice and started following me on Instagram, liking all of posts where I shared my heart about God's love and faithfulness. One day I noticed he was liking my posts and I would spark a conversation with him. The conversation was so much fun that I told him we should grab coffee sometime. Well, even though it was my idea, every time Karl asked to grab coffee it seemed that things got in the way. Months would go by and I would reach out again - we finally made a date to grab coffee in February; the afternoon before his flight to California where he would celebrate his birthday for a week. Weeks would go by and we would talk here and there. It wasn't until February 22nd when Karl and I grabbed dinner in Safety Harbor. I was flying back from a business trip in Austin, TX. It was the most amazing date that turned into seeing each other every day that weekend!

It was the third date and the last day I’d see him for a few days. We just had the most amazing weekend together and then he told me .. he was interviewing for a job in Nashville. Standing on my front porch step, somewhere between lost in his eyes and the moment, I felt an overwhelming peace come over me. In an instant I knew, this was a calling and I’d be in Nashville someday, too. Do you ever find out news and just say to yourself, “wow I have a good feeling about this!”. That’s your gut talking! Your intuition! The holy spirit! Whatever you want to call it, it’s a thing and we must listen to it. Y’all, I have never been so excited for someone and confused about why I wasn’t worried all in one instant. How could I be fine with this, I would ask myself. The long and short of it was – I was falling in love with him, and I knew that if it was God’s will, He would make it happen. He left a month later. His dad and I helped him pack, taking the Uhaul twelve hours north to his new home. I released everything I had to God and in these next few days, my gut said, “it’s fine.” In life there are pivotal moments. Moments where you ignored your intuition and moments when you followed it. This was one of those pivotal moments for me and I had to follow the path. A few months later (after many prayers) things were aligning and I made my way up to Nashville. Karl and I began one of our biggest adventures together and are lucky enough to now call Nashville home.

But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.” Matthew 6:33 Karl shared this verse with me very early on in our relationship. It replayed in my head that weekend as I thought about what it felt like to actually be living it. The more we put our trust in God, the more doors He opened for us. Meeting each other for coffee. Becoming official over pizza and wine. Dating long distance. Moving to Nashville. Starting new jobs. Growing in Him and with each other. Our trip this weekend was no different. It’s hard not to see God in everything when His creations are surrounding you. We found ourselves sitting on top of a boulder on a cliff thousands of feet in the air, taking in the views. “Heavenly Father, thank you.” A quarter mile later, God led us to a new high point, tucked away in a crevice on the face of the mountain where we stumbled across a heart shaped rock. If you didn’t believe in signs, you surely do now. We took in the views. We saw birds soar in the sky. I heard the sweetest voice call my name. It was Karl and he was on one knee. I never knew how I would react, when the man I longed to start my forever with would ask me to marry him. But I felt how I imagine Adam feeling when God created Eve. Ecstatic and complete. When God created the world, the galaxies, and everything in between, Karl was there and I was saying yes. And in that moment, we were walking through yet another door God had opened for us.