Our story begins at Grapevine Faith Christian School in August of 2009. Early on, we spent a lot of time playing four square at recess. Honestly, I can’t remember a time when it wasn’t the two of us going back and forth, fighting for that top spot on the court. I’ll admit, it was mostly her winning. Year after year, no matter the sport or activity, there we were, competing against each other. I remember one Friday night football game when we were in junior high. My friends and I were tossing a football around when Alexa showed up. I noticed immediately that she was throwing the ball better than all my friends, and her spiral was perfect! Maybe not quite as good as mine, but I was impressed. By eighth grade, Alexa and I had more classes together. I started noticing her more in the halls, at recess, and in class. Those classes gave us more time to hang out and get to know each other. We always had so much fun together. That year, we started hanging out in groups going to the movies or Main Event for bowling. Whatever we were doing, we kept gravitating toward each other. I like to think I was pretty smooth in late junior high, whether it was my note-passing skills in class or letting her win our Trivia Crack games (though she might not agree with that). When freshman year began, I already knew Alexa Brown was the girl I wanted to take to homecoming. I think that’s when our friendship started to grow into something more. After that, I wanted to ask her out. I wish I could say I came up with a romantic, well-thought-out way to do it, but I didn’t. Instead, I found her in the hallway outside the gym during her volleyball practice and said, “Hey, do you want to go out with me on Friday?” She said yes. Maybe she thought it was romantic but either way, the rest is history. From the moment I met Alexa, she has been the kindest, most gentle, and loving person to everyone around her. She walks into a room and shines the light of Christ to those near her. What first caught my eye during those years in school was her faith. Her eyes were set on Jesus, and her relationship with Him was authentic and steadfast. Her maturity and tenderheartedness stood out to me, and I couldn’t be more thankful to God for bringing her into my life. She is my best friend and my biggest supporter. We’ve grown up together, dated for over six years, and spent four of those years long-distance while at different colleges. Through it all, we’ve stayed anchored in Christ, trusting His plan for our lives. I’m so excited to continue putting our faith in Him as we step into this next chapter together. Alexa, I love you, and I can’t wait to spend the rest of my life with you.

Our story goes all the way back to Kindergarten at Grapevine Faith Christian School, where Luke and I first met. We grew up as close friends, spending elementary and junior high recesses playing four square, goofing off in class, and always finding some kind of game to compete in. In 5th grade, we’d sneak in games of Trivia Crack during English class. It started as a group thing, but eventually it was just the two of us, always battling it out. I began to realize that it wasn’t just the games I looked forward to, I genuinely loved being around Luke. He was fun, competitive, and made everything more exciting (and he still does). By 8th grade, I found myself looking for him in every room, hoping to sit next to him. At the time, I thought it was just a strong friendship, but then Luke asked me to be his date to our freshman year Homecoming. After the dance, I remember sneaking away from a big sleepover at my house to tell my mom all about Luke, and that was the moment I realized I really liked him. He had this kindness and intentionality that stood out, and being with him just felt so natural and fun. Not long after that, Luke officially asked me out to dinner at Chiloso and then to ride together to an end-of-year summer party. Looking back, it’s sweet (and hilarious) to think of that as our first date. Before then, we had spent years coordinating “group hangouts” at Main Event to play laser tag and bowling just so we could spend time together without it technically being a date (thanks dad for dating rules). We’ve been together since freshman year, but it honestly feels like we’ve been “us” for even longer. Through high school, we were each other’s biggest supporters cheering at sports games, celebrating every win, and being there for each other in all seasons. After high school, I went to Auburn and Luke to Texas A&M. Long-distance wasn’t always easy, but it was full of growth, intentionality, and a lot of love. Even when we could only see each other a few times a semester, we made it count. Luke supported me through everything from choosing to go out of state for school to studying abroad in Italy for three months. And even apart, we always found ways to stay connected and present in each other’s lives. One of my favorite things about our relationship is the strong foundation of friendship and trust we built so early on. We've grown up together, learned from each other, and leaned on God every step of the way. Our story is one of patience, faith, joy, and deep love, and we can’t wait to continue writing it for the rest of our lives!