Joel and I met at The Wilds Christian Camp in Brevard, NC. I began working there as a nurse in the summer of 2015, after graduating; and then that fall, I was given the opportunity to be a camp apprentice. Joel joined staff the following summer as the camp photographer and videographer. (How God led each of us to camp are stories of grace in themselves). From there, we began noticing each other around the campsite. Through meals in the dining hall, working together in Cool Beans, friends, and eventually, basketball, Joel and I got to know each other as friends. Games of horse, pig, knockout, and around the world provided ample time for us to talk during a busy fall of camp. One of those evenings, while leaving the court, Joel asked me to ice cream. Little did he know, our town’s ice cream shop was closed for the season. We ended up at Wendy’s, where he expressed his desire to pursue a relationship with me, as God would lead. Things took off from there, and we began dating officially the following December. December 10, 2016, to be exact. ;)

It was a Friday afternoon. Joel and I had planned to make a visit to Anderson, SC to see my Papa as well as my sister and her family. It was going to be the last opportunity to see them before a busy summer at camp. So, I was on a mission. When we got to my Papa’s house, Joel asked if we could walk down to the lake before it got dark. I hesitated at first, knowing we wouldn’t have much time. I agreed. Each time we visited Anderson, we would try to walk down to the lake and take a picture. It’s a place that I grew up loving, and I loved to show it to Joel. We got to the dock; due to the lighting, we couldn’t get a good picture and decided to walk to the other dock. That didn’t work out either, so Joel asked if we could go back to the other dock. On the way back to the first dock, Joel told me about this app he had downloaded on his phone that would allow him to set a timer and take a series of pictures. He wanted to try it out, supposedly to test it out for work. So, he got it set up, and then pressed start. The timer was counting down, and Joel was walking ‘all slow,’ so I was rushing him to get in the picture. He proceeded to say, “I have a question for you,” to which I responded, a little confused, “No, you don’t." He said, as he got down on one knee, “Yes, I do. I’ve been thinking about it and praying about it a lot, and I’ve decided I want to spend the rest of my life with you. So the question is, do you want to spend the rest of your life with me, too?” I was completely surprised and taken off guard. (So surprised, that I hadn’t even looked at the ring he was holding). I answered with a combination of, “Are you sure? Yes. Of course!” You’ll be happy to know that on our way back to Brevard, after spending time with my family, we stopped and celebrated at Taco Bell.