Let the adventure begin!

Preston and I met our Junior year of College at THE Texas A&M University. Most notably, we met at a time when marriage was the farthest from my mind and a heated game of doms was at the forefront of Preston's. For me, Friday nights were reserved for a home-cooked meal and a nightcap of red wine on my couch. Going out? Not a chance. For Preston, Friday nights were for the boys of E-1. Little did we know, our best friends (Biiiiigggg S/O to my girl Corinne Caraway & the one-and-only Nick Jasek) had other plans. In one phone call, Corinne convinced me to split a sangria and spend one Friday night like a normal college student at the oldest bar in College Station. I rolled up to the Dixie Chicken in my signature style of ~ Business Casual ~ and was strategically placed next to a man who has eyes like the ocean and a knack for card games. We shook hands and talked for the next two hours. To this day, he's the only man I'd give up a night in and my signature nightcap for. I'm the only one who can talk him out of finishing a game of doms in favor of watching me dance around the kitchen. We've been told that marriage is all about compromise, so our current agreement, you ask? Now we split the red wine & he lets me win at doms.... sometimes :) Sounds like the recipe for forever to me!

Leading up to the engagement Madison asked me probably everyday when she'd get her ring, so I wanted my proposal to hit her like a ton of bricks, so to speak. Madison's notorious for trying to figure out anything I try to surprise her with, so I had some good friends (S/O Mason + Rachel) plan a fake dinner that night. From Madison's point of view, I took no part in planning this dinner, but of course I was the puppet master behind the whole thing. The fake dinner was in Fort Worth and I took her to a wine bar beforehand. It was the perfect cover because I definitely needed the liquid courage to pull this thing off. Once I'd gotten my fill, it was time to take her to the chapel to sign my life away (haha), but I told her we were going to another bar because we're alcoholics. The chapel is tucked around the corner in the woods and you have to walk a bit to see it. As we walked I knew I'd have to do some clever lying about this bar being in the middle of the woods, so I said "It's probably around the corner here somewhere". As intuitive as Madison is, she's just as gullible and the lie worked like a charm. We walked up to the chapel and I suggested we try to go in because, why not? She agreed without asking any questions, but she spotted this chapel's commemorative plaque and proceeded to read it for about 5 minutes to learn about the history of it... I had to get this thing over with before I died of anticipation. I yanked her from the history lesson and finally walked in. I had our photographer put the ring and pictures of us on the altar which was down the aisle on the other side of the chapel. We're walking down the aisle and I look over at Madison assuming she knows what's about to happen. Still as gullible as ever, somehow she has no idea what's going on. I finally had to tell Madison to look at the pictures, then she realized. At the altar with ring in hand, I said "Madison I don't have a speech, but I have a ring." That, kids, is how I met your mother.