Ashlyn and I both went to physical therapy school at Samford University and we initially met at our first class event in 2021. We went to Lineville, Alabama as a class to learn about how people in third world countries build shelters, make food and survive. It was an odd event because as we were trudging through the woods, and listening to different exhibits, we were also trying to make awkward small talk and get to know the 38 people we were about to spend the next 3 years with. That’s when I met this petite little classmate with the prettiest dark brown hair and bright blue eyes. All I remember is thinking… there’s no way she’s old enough for PT school. Turns out she was, and as the first year progressed Ashlyn and I came to be in the same core group of friends at school. These people became my best friends and what started initially as study groups and cookie fix runs morphed into group hometown visits and beach trips. We were all close, but looking back, I always ended up right beside the same person during every hangout: Ashlyn. It wasn’t necessarily on purpose and I wouldn’t necessarily say either of us were crushing on the other. I just genuinely enjoyed being with her. Our humor was similar, but so was our problem solving methods and our way of going about life. She also was consistent. Strictly herself in every situation, and I loved that. I loved hanging out with our friends, but if Ashlyn was going to be there I was all the more excited to go. This was the case until our last semester when I found myself living alone on clinical rotation in Dadeville, Alabama. The weeks got lonely quick so every Friday I would rush back to Birmingham to live on a spare mattress in the living room of Ashlyn and KB’s apartment during the weekend. As that semester progressed and graduation came and went, I found myself spending more and more time with just Ashlyn. To the point that our friends and family started calling us out on it. It was at this point that I realized we had to “DTR” (define the relationship.) She invited me to come hang out at the pool with her one day in the summer of 24 and I was fully prepared to have the “we’re just friends, right?” conversation. That day, we spent 4 hours by the pool talking, laughing and enjoying one another’s company. We then went inside and I hung out watching TV in the living room while she got ready for a concert that night. When she walked out, I had never seen anyone more beautiful. I realized then, we needed a DTR conversation, but not the kind I originally intended to have. She was one of my best friends over the last several years and changing that relationship was intimidating and scary because I didn’t want to ruin things. But a few weeks later, (and with some help on both sides from Kara Brooke) I asked Ashlyn on a date. She was as cute and awkward about it as you would imagine but she was also my best friend and I already loved her from the start. She’s funny and silly and easy to pick on, yet wise beyond her years. Rather than the life of the party, I’d say she’s the light of a party, always bringing joy and positivity to whatever group she’s in. She genuinely cares about other people, and regularly inconveniences herself for the better of others. She places God first in her life and does not compromise her standards. It’s the reason I was so drawn to her in the first place. It’s the reason I love her today and cannot wait to make her my wife. October 11th will be a special day.