Ah Summer of 2014. It's wild to think that was 10 years ago! During this summer, I worked at Camp Chattooga, a Summer camp in the foothills of the North Georgia Mountains. I had grown up going to this camp and looked forward to spending summers in the paradise of youth every year. Little did I know that this particular summer I would meet someone like Riley Barnes Jordan. Riley and I instantly became friends, connecting on all things like our love for Eric Church, honey butter chicken biscuits, and non-stop dancing. We were soul sisters for sure!! Each summer while working at Camp Chattooga, staff had the week of 4th of July off as the midway point for the summer season. Riley had invited me to join her family at their condo in Destin, Florida for that week so we headed to the sandy beaches of the Gulf of Mexico. Riley's extended family was also there so I had the opportunity to meet the Cox family: Randy, Carol, Peyton and Davis. Peyton and I got to know each other some during that trip but nothing more than friends and a follow on Instagram. We all had just graduated from high school so we kept in touch throughout college, not thinking much of our first time meeting. 5 years later, Riley was getting married and Peyton and I both attended her wedding, with not more much than a "hey! how are you?" from the both of us that night. I did wonder how Peyton had remembered me all those years later! Fast forward to 2022, it was March and The Masters were coming up soon. Being from Georgia, The Masters is THE event in the state whether or not you enjoy golf. I've never even been and its just a place that everyone wants to go to and be a part of. I had shared a post to my instagram story that I was ready for the 2022 Masters and later that day I received a DM from someone replying to that specific story. "Peyton Cox replied to your story". I thought to myself, that's a name I haven't heard in a while. I still have screenshots of the messages from that day and, to be honest, I love reading back over them because I had no clue where those messages would lead me. Peyton mentioned he would be coming through Athens to go to the Masters that weekend and asked if I wanted to grab a beer in town. What reason did I have to say no to that? There weren't any! He picked me up and it was like we had just seen each other yesterday, with a little more life lived from our 18 year old selves that met in Destin. A 24 hr trip to Huntsville and a few more trips to visit me in Athens later, we officially began our relationship. When I told my parents Peyton had graduated from Auburn, they knew they had to meet him to ask him a burning question. "Which mascot is it?! are you a tiger or eagle?? You just gotta pick one!" Gotta love the dad jokes!! From that first date, to our trips to the lake with my family, to all the weddings of our friends we've attended and to Disney for the annual Cox vacation (and yes that trip converted me to a Disney fan as an adult!). To the two years of long distance dating, the many calls that came with it, and the countless flower arrangements Peyton sent me for the good days and bad days. There's so many memories to recount but I only have so many characters on this page so I'll save those for another time 😂 But my most favorite memory to date is now October 13, 2024 when Peyton got down on a knee asking me to marry him! He definitely had me fooled leading up to it and the dog that happened to do his business right in front of his set up makes for a hilarious addition to the story of the proposal (big thanks to Davis for quickly asking the woman to clean up after her dog bc it was in the way of something big about to happen!!) Soon, our most favorite memory will be our wedding on June 14, 2025. We are so grateful for each and every person that has had a part in our story and are thrilled for our next journey that is marriage. Let's do this!!!!