According to the Red String of Fate theory, two people destined to be together are connected by an invisible red thread, tugging them toward each other across time, distance, and even a few missed connections. For us, that string was winding through rodeo arenas, dirt roads, and more than a few close calls.

We spent years unknowingly crossing paths, attending the same events, knowing the same people, even working the same rodeos in 2022. In 2023, Abbi photographed Martin’s very first rodeo at Henderson’s Arena.

In early 2024, Martin finally reached out, asking Abbi to design flyers for his upcoming rodeo. He hated them, by the way. Abbi promptly blew him off. The universe had to step in a little louder.

That louder moment came in March 2024, when Martin literally ran Abbi over at his Henderson’s Arena rodeo. It wasn’t love at first sight, it was love at first full-body collision. From that chaotic moment on, things clicked. Laughter, late nights, rodeos, and realizing we had been circling each other for years, it all fell into place.

Later that year, back at the same Henderson’s Arena where it all finally started, he got down on one knee and proposed.

Turns out, fate has a funny way of making sure you end up exactly where you’re supposed to be, even if it needs to throw in a few detours and a minor accident to get you there.