We were two 16 year old kids that didn’t know what dating looked like, much less love. We thought it would be something casual, especially with the distance and how young we were. But sure enough, after a couple of months, we made it official. On May 4, 2019, Ben drew a picture of a bicycle and underneath it wrote, “Will you ride into a relationship with me?” Together, in each of our first real relationships, we learned what love truly was. Most of our weekends were spent driving the hour and ten minutes to each other’s houses, while our weeks were spent counting down the minutes until we could be together again. We supported each other through football games, track meets, horse shows, and countless family gatherings. We were young and didn’t yet understand how big the world was, but we knew we had each other. After graduating high school, we were distraught knowing we wouldn’t be attending the same college our freshman year. We knew it would be hard stepping into this new chapter, but we both agreed that without each other, there would always be something missing. After finishing our freshman year, we finally got to live in the same town for the first time in our relationship. We finished our college years in Athens together at UGA. That season brought some of the most eventful and meaningful years of our lives—date nights, weekend trips, football games, late nights watching movies, and even lots of yard work. Along with all of the good times came some ups and downs, many of which were worked through with a long conversation at a little gas station along I-16. It was during that time we realized we weren’t just dating for fun anymore—we were building a future together. We also grew together in our faith. We talked often about our relationship with Jesus and how we wanted Him to be at the center of our relationship and future marriage. We’ve held each other accountable and strive every day to live more like Him. Over the past few years, we graduated college together, though once again we were over an hour apart while Ben pursued his doctorate in physical therapy. This past year has looked a lot like the beginning—counting down the days until the weekend and making the most of the short time we have together. With Ben’s hectic schedule, vacations had been put on the back burner. So when he suggested a trip to Colorado during his only break of the year, Lily had a feeling something was up. After months of playfully holding up her hand and reminding Ben there was still no ring, he knew the time had come. We flew out to visit Lily’s sister for a “get together,” but little did Lily know, she would be coming home with a ring on her finger.