Nikki and Austin’s story didn’t begin with a first date—it began with ten years of crossed paths. Austin was my best friend’s younger cousin, and although we had known each other for years, I never thought of him as anything more than family friends. That changed in February 2024 during a game night at his grandma’s house. We spent the evening playing games with my best friend, Austin’s brother, and his grandma. Not long after, Austin surprised me with flowers for Valentine’s Day. Despite the sweet gesture, I completely ghosted him for the next two months. At the end of April, I finally replied to one of his Snapchat stories, and soon after we found ourselves at another game night at his grandma’s house. When my best friend called it an early night, Austin and I volunteered to drop off some chairs at his aunt’s house. What started as a simple errand turned into hours of driving around town, talking, laughing, and getting to know each other in a way we never had before. That night felt different. At one point, we flipped to a random page in the Bible and landed on the passage in Corinthians about love. Looking back, it felt like a small sign that something special was beginning. After that, we spent countless nights on midnight drives and trips to the drive-in movies. By the end of May 2024, we were officially dating. There was another sign that followed us everywhere—dragonflies. In January 2023, long before Austin and I started dating, I prayed and asked God for a word that would let me know when I had found my person. The word that came to me was “dragonfly.” Once Austin and I started spending time together, dragonflies seemed to appear everywhere we went. As our relationship grew, so did our life together. In September 2025, we moved into our home. In December 2025, Austin asked me to marry him, and of course I said yes. Along the way, we added one more member to our family—our dog, who keeps life fun and full of adventure. What started as a friendship that lasted a decade became the greatest love story of our lives, and we can’t wait to celebrate the next chapter with all of you.