Shortly into our time dating, I knew I wanted to marry Jess. I had never been with someone who made life so enjoyable, kept me light hearted, and was also able to work through hard things and our pasts. I had picked out a ring a few months before the proposal, but needed to figure out her size. We were casually shopping around one Saturday, and I asked Jess if she wanted to stop in the jewelry store to see what she liked. She was shaking, sweating and jittery the whole time. I figured I would wait a while to make the purchase, but I couldn’t help myself and bought her ring the next day. We had a trip planned a month or 2 after that to Crested Butte, Colorado for my birthday weekend. (Crested Butte is a special place to me because my family grew up skiing there.) I had a great hike planned out that I hoped would not be as crowded because it was pretty far up a dirt road and with this plan and knowing Jess, I needed it to be empty. The hike was amazing to say the least. We hiked MILES through wildflowers, some as high as our shoulders. We reached the summit, and the view was stunning. I had the ring box in my book bag and was awkwardly trying to find a way to get it all on camera. I told Jess to just to sit with Ollie, so I could take a picture of them with the view. I propped my phone up on a rock and started recording a video. I came up to Jess, hugged her, told her a lot of things that I don’t remember because I was a nervous wreck and blacked out, and then dropped on one knee to ask her to marry me. We sat there for a few minutes getting licked by all three of our dogs and taking it all in until a torrential downpour and hailstorm started. We were practically running back down the mountain in mud, ice and rain, and honestly, it couldn’t have been more perfect.

While Adam & I both have our own stories, there is no denying God had bigger plans for the both of us. March 2020 My dad called me & tells me about his PT & how he wished I still lived in Georgia to meet him. Pretty on brand for me, I probably rolled my eyes & brushed him off saying I have no interest in dating anyone, especially no one who lives across the country from me. Little did either of us know, this PT already had plans of moving to Colorado that fall. Several conversations & a few months later I agreed that my dad could give his PT my number in the event he needed any advice or a friend. (Adam says my dad rushed over the to clinic unannounced just to give him my number HA!) Weeks went by, Adam finally texted me. At first it was just that... answering generic questions, but it quickly turned into more personal conversations & next thing we knew we were talking all day, every day for weeks. I flew home to surprise my dad for Father's Day & my best friend for her 30th in June 2020. While I was home, my dad insisted Adam & I meet (It didn't take much convincing this time). I met Adam at the tennis courts while he was playing with my dad and brother. ADAM TRIED TO SHAKE MY HAND AFTER WEEKS OF TALKING. I slapped his hand away & went in for a hug & we stayed there for hours just talking even after everyone left. On my flight home from GA a few days later, Adam booked a ticket to come visit me in July 2020 & finally moved to CO in August 2020 & the rest is history. He pursued me in a way a girl could only dream of. He made me feel like I was brand new. He was patient with me & continued to surprise me showing what real love should be. After knowing both of our pasts & how far we'd come, there was no denying our paths were supposed to cross when they did & how they did. We make each other better & have the adventures I know we both have always wanted. We can't wait to continue our story & all that comes with it.

I was currently working as a physical therapist in Georgia. I had a patient on my schedule for an evaluation sometime in March of 2020. I was not thrilled about treating him because it was an elbow surgery, and we had a specialist that should have been doing the evaluation. In walks Tim Padden flailing his elbow around holding his brace he was supposed to be wearing. I’m scrambling looking for protocols on Google because I’ve never rehabbed this type of surgery. Pretty much the summary of that session was Tim saying he was a horrible patient and to give him some exercises because he would probably never come back. Well…he came back, a lot. We had really hit it off and had some great conversations during his rehab. We made a deal that Tim and Justin would play me and my co-worker, Baxter, in tennis once Tim was healed up. Turns out Tim isn’t a great tennis player, but regardless I got to meet the whole Padden family through this. When I told Tim I was considering a transfer within my company to Colorado Springs, he started telling me about his daughter Jess who lived in Colorado. Soon after I accepted the job transfer, Tim shows up at my clinic unexpectedly just to give me Jess’s number. Eventually I got the courage to text her. From that point on, we were talking all day everyday. Jess was coming home to see her family for Father’s day, so Tim arranged us meeting up one night after Justin and I played tennis. I was a nervous wreck all night, and Tim kept telling us to play another set to buy Jess some time. She finally showed up. I’m drenched in sweat and crazy nervous, so I reached out to shake her hand, which she slapped away and gave me a big hug. We talked for hours in the parking lot and by the end of that weekend, I couldn’t stand the idea of not seeing her for two more months until I moved out there. I booked a flight out to “check out my apartment complex” in July, but it was really to see her. A month later I moved to Colorado, and the rest is history.