We’re getting married!

We met through a mutual friend one night at Festival International in Downtown Lafayette. Soon after, we were inseparable. We bonded over our love of dogs and quickly took in our first dog, Zeus, in June of 2016.

We decided to go hiking at Clark Creek State Park in Woodville, Mississippi on our off day, which was normal for us. Our friend tyler came along with us as well as our two dogs, Rhea and Zeus. Right before lunch, after the third waterfall, we were walking through the small stream trying to find a spot to set up when we asked Tyler to take a picture of us together. Zoey then pulled out the ring and I (Payton) just could not believe it. The sun beamed through the clouds at the same moment Zoey dropped down onto one knee and our world just fell into place.

A normal night at our favorite bar with our favorite friends. We were all dressed up for what Zoey thought was a special occassion for one of our friends. She had no idea. After hanging out for about 30 minutes, I (Zoey) noticed that the lights got brighter and the music turned down. Which confused me because it wasn’t close to closing time. I soon noticed that multiple people, including the bartenders, were videoing and taking pictures and I knew immediately. All I could do was cry when Payton got down on one knee, I couldn’t even manage a YES, just a simple nod. I’d never been happier in my life.