It all started with a photo. Something caught my eye at my friend Cameron’s house. “WHO IS THAT?!” I asked. Little did I know, that would be one of the most important questions I would ever ask and this question would plant the seed of what would blossom into what is now a lifelong relationship. From the time I asked that question, 7 years would pass before our path’s would finally cross. But when they did, I quickly knew what we had was special. And well worth the years of long distance necessary to make it to where we are today. I’m thankful for the every part of our journey, how we’ve grown together and individually, and how God waited for the right time in each of our lives to bring us together.

Normally, I wouldn’t answer someone I don’t know, but this day I decided to entertain it. In my mind, it was only a matter of time before the guy on the other side of the phone said something crazy and left me with a funny story to tell my friends. Little did I know, that was the start of many conversations to follow. Who would have thought those two simple words “Good morning” would become two of my favorites. I’m so grateful for you and blessed God allowed us to connect at just the right time in our lives. I’m excited for our next chapter and I’m ready to add “I do” to my list of favorite two word phrases...right after “Good morning.”

Centennial Park will always have a special place in my heart. It’s the place where Amy and I first met each other in person. We met after work and we both showed up with gifts. I showed up with Amy’s favorite flowers and a pack of pink starburst (her favorite candy), and Amy came with my favorite drink: A Sonic route 44 Cherry powerade slush with nerds. We strolled through the park sharing laughs, stories, and candy. I remember checking the time, thinking, “how has it already been 6 hours?”. That’s one of many, early signs that I had found someone special. Long distance relationships are never easy. The weekend flights to see each other, the late night FaceTimes, and surprise visits are all part of the journey. In a strange way, our experience with long distance prepared us for the COVID pandemic. I’m thankful that we didn’t let the distance between us stand in the way of our future together. I’m thankful that we consistently pursued one another and invested in our relationship. I’m thankful that we have such supportive family and friends that we could lean on and depend on through these times.

A common theme in proposal stories I’ve seen is that they usually don’t go according to plan. Ours was no different! On the morning of June 7, 2020 (our 2nd anniversary and the first weekend in 3 months that we were able to see each other since the start of the pandemic), I woke up with a detailed plan of how the proposal would go. Since Amy & I were already in Chattanooga, River (the best photographer ever) would head up to Sunset Rock on Lookout Mountain early to scope it out, and get ready for us. We would have the most beautiful backdrop as I got down on one knee to ask the most important question of my life. The perfect plan. What could go wrong? Well let me tell you. As Amy and I drove up through the mountains of Chattanooga to get to Sunset Rock, I get a text from River that read: “Bad News - BOTH parking lots and access points to the trail are totally closed.” Internally, I started to panic but on the outside, I had to stay calm. As I frantically texted River and updated our families on the situation, I very casually told Amy we were now heading to Coolidge Park because the trail is closed. “How do you know the trail is closed when we aren’t even there yet?” Amy asked. She made a good point. Coincidentally, I happened to see a random “closed” sign at a common area on the lower part of the mountain. This was just what I needed to back up my statement and throw off any suspicions. So I pointed at the sign and said, “LOOK! See, it’s closed. All the trails on this mountain are closed.” If you know Amy, she likes to ask a lot of questions. So, I got VERY lucky that she decided to go with the flow and not push back on my explanation too much beyond saying quitely, “I don’t think that’s what that sign means, but okay.”

As we pulled up to Coolidge Park, I knew that this was where the proposal was truly meant to be. The park was almost empty, the scenery was beautiful and the weather was perfect. As we strolled through the park, it didn’t take long to find the perfect proposal spot. The problem was getting Amy to stay in the same spot to buy time for River to make it to us!! It wasn’t easy, but I stalled just long enough for River to arrive in her disguise. Now that everything was finally in place, it was time to ask Amy to marry me. I started our handshake and ended on one knee. Needless to say, she was shocked. The day didn’t go according to plan, but I wouldn’t have changed a thing because I ended up with a fiancé AND a great story to tell.