We initially met January of 2016, during a campus wide snowball fight at Toccoa Falls College. He left quite an impression! After I realized he was on the baseball team, it made much more sense as to why he had impeccable aim (and why me and my friend had bruises from the snow-balls)! After this, we didn't have a conversation again, or even acknowledge each other, until our junior year of college. Fall semester of junior year, we had two of our counseling classes together. So, we saw each other every day of the week with the way the classes alternated. One day, early in the semester, he walked me to the library and asked me on a "date" (He calls it lunch, I call it a date). I agreed (hesitantly), and on that "date" I told him I was only looking to be friends. We had spent 5 months just being friends when I began to realize I had some feelings for him but was not going to admit it. I made it very clear he was not allowed to "make any moves" on me! We enjoyed the time of casually getting to know each other. In January of 2018, I (Katie) cut things off, but only for a short time. After a few months apart, I realized just how much I admired and respected him. So, in April of 2018 I told him I wanted to try again and after a long, tear-filled (from both of us - sorry I ratted you out, RJ...) conversation we picked up right where we left off and have been together since then!! We were both ecstatic to be together again. We had grown a deep sense of companionship for each other. And we are so excited to spend our special day with you!

One thing RJ is really great at is surprises. We knew shortly after beginning to date marriage was something we wanted to pursue and began discussing that topic. As December of 2018 came, I was under the impression that an engagement would happen around March or April. So, on January 4th of 2019 I got on a plane and headed to Israel for two weeks to participate in a study abroad in the Holy Land. It rained so much over there, but our tour guide reminded us that we were in the country during the wet season, which the people of Israel considered the time of rejoicing and blessing because everything was green and blooming (that is an important detail). Upon returning we had some family pictures planned with a close friend of mine, but on that day - January 19, 2019 - it was pouring! I was not happy. I was tired of feeling like a wet-dog. So, we hiked in the rain to Minehaha Falls and my friend snaps a few pictures of me and my family and then asks me to turn my back to the trail because she wanted to take a few pictures of me for senior portraits. Well, little did I know that RJ was rushing up the trail to get to us and all of a sudden he is behind me, hugs me, and drops to one knee - as the rain is still falling. In that moment all I could think was, "This is a time of rejoicing and blessing." The reminder of the promised fruit the rain brings the people in Israel was being reflected graciously by our God through the fulfillment of a blessing through RJ. He asked the question and I said Y E S! So, his little diversion of telling me the spring time definitely worked!