Our Story

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As Tate tells it...

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Truthfully, I had a crush on Lauren off and on through a few different points in high school and college. I always felt weird about it, because she was a couple years older than me and her brother was my closest friend. I remember in high school my parents would playfully tease me, saying that I only hung out with Ethan so I could spend time around Lauren. I started to take their comments more seriously in college, and even more so as rumors were swirling that Lauren was looking to move back to St. Louis. Shortly before Christmas of 2024, Claire Milburn texted me, saying that Lauren would be in town for the holidays and that I should really consider asking her to meet for coffee. I used my normal defense, saying something along the lines of Lauren's awesome, but she's like a sister to me. I told Claire I would pray about it, but I never ended up seeing Lauren over that visit. Nonetheless, the thought had been put in my head again, so it didn't take long for me to start reaching out to Lauren, commenting on social media posts and asking about her house hunt in St. Louis. Fast-forward to May 2025. Lauren's found a house and needed some help moving in. It wasn't out of the ordinary for her to reach out to me for help, and I was glad to spend my Memorial Day carrying her dresser up and down the stairs. It was a good excuse to catch up with Ethan and Claire, and I always loved getting to see Lauren and her family. Around that time, I had found a pickleball league near her house that I was planning to join, so I ended up inviting her to participate with me. She agreed, so for a while every Sunday night we would meet at Chicken N Pickle and play a couple matches and then get some food and stick around to watch the other players. There was very little watching happening, though, as I was distracted by the opportunity to sit down and talk with her for a couple hours.

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A similar thing happened in early June, when she reached out about an event with live music and food trucks happening at a park near her house. She said she was going, and I was welcome to join if I was free. I told her I would grab some folding chairs and meet her at her house after work, and we could walk down to the park together. I couldn't tell you a single song that was played that night, as again I was enraptured by Lauren's story of how God had led her to Tulsa, Atlanta, and back to St. Louis, each at the right time and for the right reason. She talked about all of the miraculous connections and perfect opportunities that He had given her, and I was so impressed by her deep trust in the Lord that I decided I was willing to risk my friendship with Ethan to ask out his sister. We stayed at the park long after the music ended and the food trucks packed up and left, and we made our way back up to her house. I told her that I had had a great night, and I said "Next time we do this, let's call it a date. Would you like that?" She said she would, and I said I would figure out some Cardinals tickets and in a gleeful panic promptly got in my car and left. Although it took a few dates for me to admit it out loud, I left that night knowing that I would soon ask Lauren to marry me.

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As Lauren tells it...

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Some are calling it our Hallmark story and they really aren’t too far off!! (although I’d personally like to think of it as a little less cheesy) Girl moves off to the big city and returns home to fall in love with her younger brother’s best friend - this is pretty much precisely what happened! Rewinding a bit, the Milburn’s and Howell’s have always joked about Tate and I getting together, to the point that it annoyed me big time and made me determined to prove them otherwise. I’ve always loved being around Tate and thought super highly of him, but I am a few years older, after all. Tate and I have always been in each other’s lives thanks to best man Ethan! Alongside future SIL bridesmaids Paige and Sophie, I was always the biggest Spartan baseball sister cheerleader and loved any and all other adventures with any combination of the Howell crew, including but not limited to Summit summer camp in Colorado, covid camping in COMO with the guys, our Emery family farm trips (one with maid of honor Micaela), countless church memories, Cards games, etc. I always (mistakenly) kept Tate in the category of little brother in my mind - but God’s timing and plan prevail! Thank goodness He is sovereign! On our annual Milburn/Waltmann ski trip in Breck January 2024, the Lord gave me a subtle wake up call and truly opened my heart and mind to think about Tate differently. After being razzed about some of my crazy dating stories during New Years Eve card games, my very wise SIL and matron of honor Claire made a final joking comment about Tate that I for some reason couldn’t shake - in response, I expressed for the millionth time that I was closed off to dating Tate. I wholeheartedly know that God began to show me what He was up to and shifted my feelings towards Tate while I was skiing on Peak 10 the following day, which I then bravely voiced to Claire in fear that nothing would ever happen if I kept it to myself.

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I reflect often on the moment where I know the Lord spoke to me about Tate and the countless prayers leading up to it, asking Him to show me His perfect path and plan for my life. Little did I know I had known the one who my soul loves from the very beginning! The Lord is so faithful and kind and we give Him all the glory!! I went home after the ski trip and told the ATL roomies that Tate was on my mind and that I was going to pray about it. Fast forward to Dec 2024, Claire was back at it again. Unbeknownst to me, she texted Tate suggesting that he should consider taking me to coffee and that I was moving back to STL sometime in 2025, to which he replied “I’ll pray about it” :) Come February 2025, enter another ski trip (yes, you’re seeing a common theme here - it’s a good thing Tate loves to ski too!). I was in Telluride with bridesmaid Claire Statton who asked me if there were any Atlanta boys as of late. Without skipping a beat I told her “no, not at the moment” but that I was really praying about reaching out to Tate while the Lord was also orchestrating my move back to MO. I reposted her Instagram story from a day of skiing and was shocked to see a like and DM from the one, the only, Tate Howell! She freaked out with me and helped me craft a semi-flirty yet cautious response back. We concluded that if he was interested in seeing where things could go too, he’d be bold and man enough to reach out to me again. Sure enough, I got a text from the man about a week later asking to keep him in the loop on my moving timing and logistics - sweet boy!! I was excited, and so were the rest of my girl squad. “Sweet poTater Tot” as they affectionately call him seemed at least excited to continue the friendship, right?!

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Tate continued to follow up throughout the springtime as I was on my house search, which I found extremely thoughtful and impressive. On my moving drive back to STL in May with bridesmaid Baley, I remember having several conversations about approaching things prayerfully and taking things slow. In the midst of hearing my move logistics, Tate invited me to play in a pickleball league with him throughout the summer to help me get back into the swing of things and have something fun and social to do (at least that’s what I was telling myself! I was also hoping he was trying to spend time with me). Our first match was June 1st, so while we were already in communication about that, I boldly asked him if he’d help me/my parents/Ethan and Claire/the Waltmann’s move me into my new house in St. Charles over Memorial Day weekend (which he says he put on his calendar immediately). This really wasn’t too out of the norm (again, Tate has always been around), but I was definitely excited that he was in town and free and willing to help. I thought it was super gracious of him, but I also got pretty excited when he told me he’d also like to play pickleball sometime at his apartment before our league started. After our first pickleball match, he asked if I wanted to stick around to “watch our future competition” and "eat some food" - I gladly accepted! We proceeded to shut the place down and talked non-stop for probably 3 hours. These post-pickleball catch-ups turned into a bit of a routine each week that I always looked forward to.

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On June 10th I was feeling a bit impatient and gutsy. After Tate turned down what I thought was a strategic invitation to build my patio furniture, I shot my shot again and told Tate that I was going to walk to Main St to check out the food trucks and live music. Tate and I talked for probably another 3 hours, drowning out everything around us. He asked me tons of questions about the journey the Lord had taken me on from Tulsa back to St. Louis and then to Atlanta and back to St. Louis - I was amazed by how genuine, intentional, and mature he was in sharing parts of his story as well. On the walk back up to my house, I asked him why he moved back to STL and if he had considered any other KPMG offices. He mentioned that KC was always on his radar and would be fun to live in the same city as Ethan and Tucker. This was the moment I knew I wanted to date him because it made me sad to think that I had just moved back to STL and he might want to move! Conveniently enough, he made up his mind that night too and asked me to a Cards game for a first date! After that first date on 6/24, the rest really is history. We both were in a place where we didn’t want to mess around and date unless it was truly going somewhere. On 7/27 after a baby shower for Claire is when he told me that he loved me and intended to marry me - a question he officially asked me on one knee on 11/28! So here we are! Bottom line: God is good and writes the best love stories, in His perfect timing! What an honor and joy it is to date you forever, Tate Robert Howell! And to be your wife! We can’t wait to celebrate with you all! <3