I was just a few months out of college and working at my first full-time job in Atlanta when I met Pete. I was immediately drawn to his thoughtfulness and sense of humor, but since he was only in town for the summer I didn’t really think much would come of it. In true millennial fashion, it took a few Instagram likes from Pete and a Facebook message from me to finally get us talking. A few weeks before Pete's internship came to an end and he headed back to Clemson for his victory lap year, we went on our first date. We spent the better half of the day walking the Atlanta Beltline, exploring Ponce City Market, Krog Street Market, and even having an impromptu dinner because we wanted to continue hanging out. It was the easiest first date of my life, we had so much in common and it was like talking to someone I'd known forever. After Pete went back to school, we spent the year traveling up and down I-85 between Atlanta and Clemson until he finally moved to Atlanta after graduation. Since then, it seems there's always something new and exciting going on! 2018 brought us back together in the same city where we quickly adopted not one but two dogs. 2019 was the year we got engaged and moved from Atlanta to Charlotte, NC. In 2020 we bought our first house, and now in 2021 we become husband and wife!

I can’t tell you exactly when I knew that I wanted to marry Abby, but after a trip to Europe in early 2019 I realized it was time to make some moves. I purchased the ring in May with every intention of waiting until the fall to pop the question. But once I had the ring, I couldn’t hold onto it. I decided to propose when we’d be visiting my parents for the 4th of July. Abby’s mom was coming as well, so it was perfect that we’d have both sets of parents there to celebrate with us. The plan was to go to a new restaurant on Topsail Beach, I told Abby the only way to get to the restaurant was to go onto to the beach and walk to it. Abby was super skeptical, but we took our own car and headed to the restaurant a little early because some of the others were taking too much time to get ready. We arrived at the beach, me sweating profusely, and walked a short distance before I dropped a knee and asked Abby to be my wife. To be honest, I don’t remember everything that I said because I was so caught up in the moment, but I will always cherish that day and that spot on the beach. For anyone that knows me, it’s a well-known fact that I am the worst secret/surprise keeper ever. This is probably the only surprise I’ll ever be able to keep from my future wife, but it was the best one!