Who would have guessed that two kids who only talked to each other a handful of times in junior high and high school would reconnect six years later, hit it off and fall in love? If you would have told us that in the sixth grade at Wall Junior High, we probably would've given each other a weird look and awkwardly laughed it off. They say that everyone in a small town knows each other, but I don’t recall us ever talking to one another. Even though we didn’t have much to do with each other, I always knew that Nolan was incredibly kind and had a sense of humor that was unmatched. After moving home from graduate school, Nolan and I reconnected through social media and decided to meet and have lunch at Rosa’s. I don’t think that either of us could have guessed what happened next. We greeted each other with huge hugs and talked as if we had been close friends our entire lives. After two hours had passed, Nolan asked if I would like to go on another date and I couldn’t say “yes” fast enough. A few days later, we went on a second date down by the river before heading over to Blaine’s Pub. We continued to talk about life, our likes and dislikes, dreams and goals and before we knew it, we shared our first kiss. Two weeks later, we decided to head down to the river again for a picnic lunch and Nolan asked me to be his girlfriend! A few weeks later, I got a job in Huntsville and we decided that we would try the whole long-distance relationship thing. Lucky for me, he showed so much grace, was incredibly patient and I could tell that he really wanted to make things work. Several months later, my work took me to Lubbock and we were so excited to be closer. He moved up to Lubbock in May of 2019 and our relationship flourished even more from there. I can’t begin to describe how much our relationship has grown and what all we’ve been through together. I am so incredibly grateful that God chose to bless me with such an amazing man that I get to spend the rest of my life with.

One of my first memories of Shannon goes all the way back to middle school. Shannon had MRSA and one of our teachers made us sign a huge “Get Well Soon” card. Not having the slightest clue what that was, I made a point to sign right in the middle of the oversized card, wishing her the best and prayers being sent her way. Then, a month or so later, a very pretty, dark-haired, green-eyed beauty came walking through the halls. Everyone wanted to help her - she was an absolute rockstar… way too cool for me. The years after consisted of me watching her music and softball career skyrocket, while I was a mediocre lineman, the worst saxophone player ever, and was tending to pigs, cotton and corn in my free time. Shannon was absolutely right. A small town, but we never truly met. - May 30th, 2018 - Six years later, familiar strangers met online. She had just finished her master’s degree while I was still working on my bachelor's degree. Still beautiful, still a rockstar, still way too cool for me. I just had to get to know her. While at lunch, we talked, we laughed and the entire time I was lost in her eyes. I loved it. The next obvious thing to do was take her to the crown jewel of San Angelo - Blaine’s Pub. If there was anything I knew about the place is that it allowed everybody to be themselves, with no pressure and always fun. That’s EXACTLY what we got. The third date was the charm and she agreed to be my girlfriend. BOOM! Like the big bang, sparks flew, stars aligned, and then the expansion. She took a job in Huntsville and I stayed in San Angelo to finish school. She is a force of nature though - 330 miles apart, like gravity, I was still falling for her. Gravity always wins. Months later, she took a job at Texas Tech. I finished school, I was somewhat financially stable and those stars aligned again. I made the move up to Lubbock and the rest is history. With the help and guidance from God, family and friends, I made her mine on a beach in Texas.

July 18, 2020 – THE BEST DAY EVER. Let me tell you, Nolan did SO FREAKING GOOD! As the queen of ruining surprises, I truly had no idea that July 18th would be the best day of my life. We flew from Lubbock to Port Aransas for a big vacation with some of our closest friends. Friday was a day filled with catching up with our crew and enjoying each other’s company. The next day, we packed up all the trucks and drove on down to the beach for what would be an incredibly fun day for everyone. We set up shop and played volleyball, soccer and sat around in a huge circle soaking in every precious moment with our friends. Randomly, Nolan came up and asked if I wanted to go on a walk later and I happily agreed. Everyone packed up their stuff and we set out for our walk with Austin and LCee Morrow – our best couple friends. *** BACK STORY: last year on this same trip, I may or may not have had too much drink... and accidentally dropped Austin’s silicone ring into the ocean and it instantly disappeared. *** Nolan grabbed my hand and asked how far I wanted to walk and I said, “Just however far you want to go.” He responded saying, “Okay, we’ll just see where the moment takes us.” As we walked down the beach, Nolan and Austin went ahead of me and LCee and then Austin bent down to look at something. He exclaimed, “Oh my gosh, it’s my ring from last year!” and sneakily handed Nolan a ring box. Nolan turned around, got down on one knee and asked me to marry him! I said yes and the happy tears started flowing! After we returned from the beach, we made tons of phone calls and celebrated all night with some of our closest friends! We are so grateful for the outpouring of love we’ve received from our friends and family and I can’t wait to see what the Lord has in store for our marriage!