Austyn and Rachel met in 2022 while attending a college church group at Mt. Vernon Baptist Church. Rachel was a freshman, and Austyn was a sophomore transfer at Appalachian State University. Austyn and Rachel became friends pretty quickly, and neither remembers quite how. Rachel's nickname between Austyn and his best friend Ridge was "Weasle" for a long time, claiming she weasled her way into their lives. Austyn and Rachel were friends for nine months before Rachel realized that she had feelings for Austyn. Austyn drove an hour to Rachel's house and surprised her by asking her officially to be his girlfriend on May 12th, 2023. Since then, they have led one another to personally grow spiritually, and have grown together into who they are today.

On January 3rd, 2026, Austyn and Rachel took a road trip back up to Boone. They drove to see a mentor and a friend from the church where they had met. Austyn backed down the driveway, then hand in hand they walked down towards the property's pond, "looking" for their friend, or so she thought. Austyn slightly tugged on her arm, and when she turned around, he was on one knee. He slipped his hand in his vest pocket as he said, "I love you". Rachel's response in disbelief was, "Are you kidding me?" With a smile, Austyn asked Rachel to marry him. Rachel, of course, said yes. Austyn pointed out that in the barn behind them was their friend and his sister, Alyssa, who was taking photos. Austyn then pointed up to the house where Austyn's friends Kayden and Ridge were celebrating on the back deck. Out came their close friends from near and far, including those mentioned, Rachel's friends Molly and Jaidyn. FaceTime calls commensed and a small party took place a few hours later to celebrate.