It’s finally happening!!!

Our story began in the summer before college as we prepared to start our journey at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. We were both attending freshman orientation and in the hundreds of people, I saw Carter. Before I could say or do anything, my mom, Marcie said “There’s you a boyfriend.” So now she forever claims that she paired us together. Even before we spoke a word, something told me he was going to be a part of my life. By chance (or maybe fate), we ended up grouped together in the same orientation group. They herded us into a stuffy, stinky auxiliary gym for icebreaker games. During a round of Ships and Ladders, Carter and I were some of the first two out, which meant we had to sit on the sidelines together while everyone else played on. That’s where we finally started talking. By the end of that night, we’d exchanged numbers, and we texted until we couldn’t keep our eyes open. The next day we were inseparable. We spent the day laughing, teasing, and getting to know each other more. I learned nothing about the college or classes I would be attending, I was too focused on the long haired boy that had captivated my full attention. Later, I found out that Carter had immediately told his parents, “I met a girl” and we’d known each other for less than a day. So when people joke about love at first sight, I know for us it was real. A week later, Carter drove an hour and a half just to take me on our first date. I’d done my classic social media investigating and discovered he only had two photos, both were hiking pictures. So I was determined to impress him, suddenly I had become the world’s most outdoorsy girl (or so I pretended). That first date was a summer hike at Radnor Lake. I forgot to wear deodorant, sweated through my shirt, and even ended up sneakily washing my armpits at the trailhead. We joke that our first date was a disaster but it is one of my fondest memories. Everything that could go wrong that day did, but we had so much fun together. We spent the rest of that summer living out my romcom movie fantasy, listening to records on my bedroom floor, going to drive-in movies, sharing popcorn and Icees, and riding around in Carter’s convertible. It felt easy and lighthearted from the very start. When school started our connection only grew stronger. Carter asked me to be his girlfriend on September 4, 2015 (though, for the record, we still debate the exact date but I have the receipts!). He told me he loved me for the first time on October 9. Later that fall, he introduced me to his family, and they welcomed me with open arms. I knew then that God had answered every prayer I’d had since I was a little girl. Years later, on May 22, 2022, while on a trip to Yellowstone National Park, Carter proposed. My only request was that our dog Delilah be included, and he made sure it was just the three of us and the mountains. It was perfect and intimate, exactly what we wanted. We fell in love fast, but we have never been in a rush. We always knew that it was us, and we didn’t need fancy titles or a big day to prove our relationship was real. But now, we feel so grateful and ready to celebrate our love with all the people who have supported us through every season. Over the last decade, we’ve grown together, bought a house, started a business, adopted animals, supported each other through grief and happiness, and traveled as partners. But most of all, we’ve shared our love with each other and those closest to us. Thank you for being part of our story and for loving us back. We can’t wait to celebrate with you!