We're getting married!

Fall 2017 was the last semester of both our college careers. We were excited for our last hoorah before graduating and moving on to the next chapter of our lives, whatever that may be. We had crossed each others paths a time or two with a word here and there but neither of us expected what would happen between September and December. We each made our way to Dallas for the Texas A&M vs. Arkansas football game to spend the weekend with the same mutual friend and a few others (shout out to Kelsey Scribner!). A few hours into the tailgate, we started chatting and sat together to watch the game. With each conversation that weekend, we learned more about each other...our goals in life, what we were interested in, our favorite movies, our plans after college, etc. Maybe you'll be as surprised as I was to know that he did NOT ask for my number when we went back to school! However, the next thing I knew, I received a text message from him asking to go to Karaoke Night at The Tap. I, of course, brought reinforcements (Bridesmaids Anna and Ashley). Later that night, the song "Are You Gonna Kiss Me or Not" came on and he asked me to dance. I stepped on his toes and there was minimal dance space but I wouldn't have wanted to dance with anyone else. Since that night, we have fallen more in love each day. We've cheered each other on in our first jobs, traveled to new places that have challenged us to go outside our comfort zones, shared friends that have become our family, and grown in our faith together. Today, as we sit here to write this story and think back upon all our memories, we are humbled that God has brought us together, blessed us beyond measure, and are incredibly thankful for the future that is to come.

By this point, 2020 had been full of so much. Like many people, we didn't know how long the pandemic would last or how long the "quarantine" requirement would be. Travis began working from home in Mid-March. The first few weeks were interesting. I was used to working from home, but not with someone else and I think I speak for Travis when I say he was probably missing the time away during the day :) Needless to say, we continued to learn new things about each other and our relationship during 2020. We became closer, we fell more in love as we were given more time to spend together, and we realized what was really important to us. In June 2020, we made the big decision to build a house and to move to Houston. We knew that the move to Houston was always in our plan but the pandemic added a new pathway for us to make that happen sooner. After a few months of house design and starting the building process on top of a few very busy months of work, we needed a weekend away to relax. We headed to Fairfield, Texas where my family had built a cabin to serve as our family escape. There's one grocery store, a dirt road, and no cell coverage or internet access. On Saturday night, we made a steak and shrimp dinner on the grill. After dinner, we grabbed a glass of wine and went to the porch to watch the Texas sunset. He turned on some music and Randy Travis played in the background singing the words..."I'm gonna love you forever and ever, forever and ever amen." I looked at Travis in the chair, looked the other direction at the sunset and when I looked back, he was on one knee. It was the easiest "yes" I've ever said and we will both forever cherish that day. We spent the rest of the night dancing on the porch to all the songs that we have listened and made memories to over the last few years. We are so excited to celebrate this next chapter of our lives with you all! See you in May!