Matthew had met my friends Madison and Elizabeth in 2011 at the state tennis tournament and they could not stop telling me about how perfect he was for me. We finally met in 2014 when our college tennis teams played against each other, it was a brief encounter as we both were seeing other people at the time. Time passed along until fall of 2019 we reconnected after each finishing our graduate schooling and preparing for the beginning of our careers. It didn't take long after our first date in October 2019 to realize that this was something special. God's timing is very mysterious, yet perfect, as we have realized just how many times we passed by one another unknowing that we were meant to be.

As Matthew and I were preparing to go to Orange Beach, my sister told me we were going to take family pictures. A little suspicious and very confused, I got a new dress and got all prettied up for pictures. We took family pictures and then broke off for individual couple pictures. My parents got theirs done and left. I was less suspicious now, he wouldn't ask without my parents there. My sister and her husband got theirs done and left. Even more confused, but oh well I was getting cute pictures with my handsome boyfriend. As Matthew stood beside me I could feel his heart racing through his shirt. Then the moment came when he turned to me and asked me THE QUESTION, the one that he already knew the answer to at this point, yet all I could say was "HOLY CRAP" because I was so shocked that this was happening and that he had picked a beautiful ring. I hugged him tightly and kissed his face, I can't remember saying yes, but I think he knows! Once we finished our beautiful pictures, we drove back to the condo and were surprised by not only decorations and tons of food, but Matthew's parents had come to the beach to celebrate too!