In August 2016, It was my junior year and Emily's sophomore year at Appalachian State University. It was the first business operations meeting for a school club/project named the Solar Vehicle Team. There were around 20 students sitting around a long conference table and across from me, this beautiful woman caught my gaze! It was love at first sight! ... I just didn't know it yet! The Solar Vehicle Team worked in-house to build and race cars fueled on Solar Energy! (I know, COOL RIGHT?!) With a mixture of club operations/projects and shared classes, we found ourselves running into each other quite often. We went on to build our friendship for another year until one of the best days of my life! I was celebrating a birthday with one of my friends and they wanted to watch a scary movie. Personally, I don't see any value in paying money to lose sleep because of a silly horror movie. It wasn't more than 20 minutes in where I had to storm away because I was... not enjoying the movie. Left all my friends in the theatre and decided to give Emily a call! She picked up, and came to the rescue! We hung out with my friends the rest of the evening and I knew I had to get redemption for my fear of the horror movie. I finally came to my sense asked her out on a formal date the following night. There were two reasons I was able to finish the movie, 1) because she's SO beautiful and 2) she COULDN'T stop talking during the WHOLE MOVIE. Anyways, the rest is history! We have a shared love for God, a passion for our career, and an unmatched friendship! Oh, and for those wondering - the horror movie we watched was 'IT'. 10/10 don't recommend.

In the midst of the negativity that is COVID, it was time to make the most out of the situation. After a few years of laughter, stories, and endless memories it was time to pop the question! I needed to make sure Emily understands how much she means to me, so I had to make the grandest gesture possible! Boone, NC (where we both went to college) has a special place in our hearts, so it was an obvious place to pick! I couldn't simply plan a random trip to Boone, Emily is too smart not to suspect anything. So I asked our close friend to text Emily and let her know that school is stressful and needs a break from everything. The trap has been SET! On the first weekend of December, we made our way to a break back at our Alma Mater. We drove in on a Friday night to our friend's house. We arrived later in the evening and set off for brunch the following day. Once it was time, I *mysteriously disappeared*. Weeks before I had been planning and coordinating with Emily's best friends (all living out of town) and coordinated them to come up for the weekend! I linked up with them after I disappeared from Emily to give them a special basket of flowers, pictures, and a special note. The goal was to send Emily off on a Scavenger Hunt! With 3 different friends, each clue was a special place that meant something to us. Shortly after I disappeared, our close friends gave Emily her first 'Clue". Where each destination was, there was also one of her friends! Our first date, the first time we met, and the first concert we went to, and the final proposal destination (A special date spot)! It took her no time to maneuver from clue to clue, finding her friends with a bunch of extra goodies! The last destination was a quick hike to a beautiful overlook, where I was eagerly waiting. As she made her way up, the first thing she saw was the picture-perfect overlook and a pocket of rose petals surrounding me. I hit my knee and then SHE SAID YES!