Ethan and I met at Auburn University in late 2021 at one of his fraternity parties (yikes). I remember one of our first conversations was about basketball, and Michael Jordan being the greatest of all time (I’m glad we agreed on that!). After that, we would bump into each other while going out. We started talking more and more, and I realized how amazing he was. He asked me so many questions, which is a good thing because sometimes I don’t have much to say. If you don’t know Ethan, he loves asking questions, and he comes up with some pretty niche ones too. Moving on to late March of 2022, Ethan asked me to be his girlfriend on one of our many walks around campus. We were actually sitting on a bench outside one of Auburn's famous landmarks, Toomer’s Corner, a place with the sweetest lemonade you’ll ever taste; it might even rot your teeth in the first sip. I will forever remember that day. Fast forward through many sporting events, dinner dates, sorority and fraternity formals, thousands of miles driven, and countless FaceTime calls. Ethan graduated from Auburn in 2023, and we did long distance for two years. That time really solidified and strengthened our relationship more than ever. Flash forward to December 6th in NYC! We got engaged in Central Park. I always have told Ethan how special NYC has felt to me ever since I was little. As basic as it sounds, I always dreamed of the glamour of NYC, so it was incredibly special that it happened there during the Christmas season…. my favorite. Ethan and I have grown so much together. We’ve supported each other through the highest of highs and the lowest of lows. I couldn’t imagine life without him. He truly has changed my life in the best way.

The night I met Nataley I knew my life had changed. We were both waiting for the bathroom at a party and started talking about sports and random stuff. We ended up talking for over 30 minutes, not realizing that we had already fallen in love (well, at least I had). It genuinely felt like I was living inside of a dream, where this wasn't going to be real the next morning and I would wake up. But sure enough, it was real and it was the beginning to the best thing that has ever happened to me. After a few months passed by Nataley and I would see each other out and always have those same endless conversations where our friends would eventually pull each other away. We didn't say it, but we both knew that something was there that we had never felt before. Sitting around one day during winter break, I got a snapchat notification from Nataley Riggs. My heart almost skipped a beat. She had asked if I had planned on taking anyone to my fraternities formal yet in New Orleans. I tried to play it cool, but little did she know that I was doing victory laps in my house when this happened. Skip a few months ahead to a sunny Sunday afternoon at Toomers Corner, each of us sipping a lemonade, I asked Nataley to be my girlfriend. When she said yes I remember yelling to the street "SHE SAID YESSS" trying to make Nataley laugh (but actually I was that happy). Finishing my junior year heading into a summer internship in Atlanta, Nataley and I would stay up every night facetiming. Visiting her in Florida for Fourth of July was the highlight of my summer, as I got to spend the week with my best friend and explore where she grew up. My senior year was amazing. Nataley and I would go to our favorite restaurant in Auburn, Baumhausers, as well as go to basketball games, go on hikes, explore Auburn and much more. Again, I would pinch myself sometimes to make sure I wasn't dreaming because of the fun we had. Once my senior year ended, it was very hard knowing that it was the start to a long-distance relationship. But, Nataley and I were committed to each other and knew that this would only make our relationship stronger. Living in Charlotte, North Carolina, and Nat being at Auburn, we both made the 6+ hour drive to see each other multiple times a month. We ended up doing long distance for over 2 years with endless facetimes, trying to watch movies virtually together, and even asking each other fun questions until we fell asleep. I knew that I had to move to Nashville to be with Nataley. Nataley has always been my person. I fell in love as soon as I saw her black hair, brown eyes and glowing smile. She is the most beautiful woman in this world. I am forever grateful for her. I am so excited to spend the rest of my life with Nataley, going on endless adventures, traveling the world and spending cozy nights with Barkley.