Patrick showed up in my world after the people in my world (rightly and easily) fell in love with him. He was assigned as the Associate Pastor of my home church (where I had been baptized and grew up) in June 2015. That Fall, all of the church members that I had grown up loving and who had loved me so well over the years (including my parents!) started buzzing that we needed to meet. Admittedly, my stubborn and independent heart said, "No way! It would be too easy! It's too-good-to-be-true that I'd fall in love with a man so right." Thankfully, our friends Josh and Geo planned a sneaky dinner where we were forced to hold hands for grace and get to know each other. Over the next few months of dating and adventures, God laughed in my ear and said, "Ha!, you thought you knew better than Me but My plan is always best. You thought it wouldn't happen but here he is, the man you've been praying for." (We were actually at PF Changs - sitting in a booth meant for 8 - when I felt this exchange with God. Patrick sweetly and nervously sat on the other side of this giant table and I had to ask him to scoot closer!). Patrick is exactly that; the man I prayed for all my life with a bunch of extra bells and whistles I never imagined thrown in! I never could have dreamed this man or this love up but I'll spend forever thankful for it and never taking it for granted. Thank you so much to all the amazing people who have encouraged, supported, and cheered for us along the way!

"Where is the ring, Patrick?" Surely this must have been the unspoken question floating around in the minds of many during 2020. Holidays passed, major events and trips came and went, and yet a little finger on her right hand was very lonely. It was at this moment that I realized that I had achieved success. Complete surprise. I was the master of destiny! Secret trips to Blackstone with my mother; clandestine text messages to Stacy, Ben, and her mom about ring sizes; deflecting questions of when, where, and how from members of her bridal party -- all was going according to plan.  But when the weekend arrived, I was nervous. She almost found the ring in my golf bag, almost caught me shoving it in my pocket the day of, and almost overheard a frantic last-second phone call from Mrs. Marisa Taylor full of panic and excitement. The best part of the story is when I dropped to one knee, I knew that this was the moment God had created for us. While she never actually said yes (her exact words were, "I thought you'd never ask!"), the moment sent her spinning into a world of happy tears, jumping up and down, and her screaming, “You want to marry me!!” ...success!