BCM Spring Formal - just friends!

Leading a BCM Dawgpack together...as friends!

Another dance - still just friends!

BCM Formal Round Two - At this point, Abby and Dylan are just friends, but for the first time ever, Abby realizes that she may be catching feelings for Dylan. In a couple of weeks, both Abby and Dylan will leave Athens for the summer. Abby is off to serve with Connect Camps Ministries, and Dylan will be serving on mission in Toronto, Canada. After talking, even though they both realized they have small feelings for one another, Abby and Dylan decided it was more important to focus on what the Lord was calling them to do during the summer rather than pursuing a relationship.

First Date - Once Dylan and Abby had returned home from the best summers of their lives, they finally (after Abby stopped avoiding having the conversation!) were able to talk. Two hours later, after a really good conversation about how the Lord worked in and through each other during their time away, Dylan asked Abby if she would like to go on a date with him. She said yes, although she still wasn't sure her feelings were as strong as they had been before she left. Nonetheless, it was a sweet date! Dylan took Abby to Taqueria Tsunami, one of her favorite restaurants, and to get ice cream at Andy's. The only thing Dylan forgot to do on the date was ask Abby to go on a second date:)

Do you remember the 21st night of September? We sure do because that is the day Abby and Dylan officially started dating. While their first date was very sweet, it wasn't for another month until Dylan asked Abby to be his girlfriend and she finally said yes (because he asked more than once!). Dylan likes to tease Abby that she rejected him after he asked her on a second date, which he is not wrong about. After praying about it and having many vulnerable conversations with Dylan, Abby decided she wanted to start a relationship with Dylan. September 21st was only the beginning of a beautiful adventure filled with incredible memories that Dylan and Abby have gotten to share together.

Chris Renzema Concert Round 1

Chick-Fil-A Date with our buddy, Liam!

Dahlonega, Georgia with Abby's family.

BCM Semi-Formal 2023 - No longer just friends!

Babysitting the Tench Boys - How sweet it is that these three are going to be in our wedding!

Briarwood Mission Trip to New Orleans - this was the first mission trip that Dylan and Abby got to go on as a couple. As a couple, it is their first priority to serve the Lord together and to follow the calling that He has on their lives. It was so amazing getting to serve the people of New Orleans alongside one another.

Waffle House date with Camden Henry - One of Dylan and Abby's favorite things to do together is to hang out with the little people that are so special to us. Camden, and his little brother Bryson, are also going to be in our wedding, and we are so excited!

Passion Conference 2024

Briarwood DNOW 2024 - Another opportunity that we got to serve the Lord and serve our church together. We spent the weekend with Briarwood's Student Ministry, a group of people that has become very important to both Dylan and Abby.

Valentine's Date and continuing our Ihop Pancake of the Month tradition - Dylan and Abby love trying the Pancakes of the Month at Ihop, so don't be surprised if you see another pancake photo later in this timeline!

Celebrating the engagement of our best friends!

Dylan's 21st birthday!

Chris Renzema concert round two - Abby surprised Dylan with these tickets for Christmas because she knew that there was no way he would let her pay for them if she didn't give them to him as a surprise!

Final BCM Formal together - Definitely more than friends at this point and we even got to recreate a photo from before we even started dating!

Dylan's surgery day - Finally! Dylan got the call and was told that he could have his first knee surgery. Praise the Lord. Dylan and Abby will both agree that this surgery was complete evidence of the Lord's faithfulness and perfect timing. Although it was an extremely difficult season to navigate, it was instrumental to both Dylan and Abby's growth in the Lord and growth in their relationship with each other. The Lord was so good and kind to them to allow Dylan and Abby to walk through this together and learn from one another through the challenges and triumphs of this season.

Abby's 21st birthday! Even on crutches, Dylan didn't miss out on celebrating Abby!

Abby's graduation - There are a lot of photos that could be shared from that day. but this one speaks volumes to the love that Dylan and Abby share. Dylan sat through not one, but two ceremonies for Abby, and crutched around all of Athens with nothing but a smile on his face. He was only three weeks post surgery and even though he was in a lot of pain, he was there to celebrate with Abby.

Ihop Pancake of the Month - A fun tradition that Dylan and Abby share. This is the last date that Dylan and Abby went on before Abby left for a month to serve with Connect Camps for the final time.

Abby leaves for camp - Saying goodbye was a lot harder this time around, and both Dylan and Abby shed some tears.

Dinner at Outback - Abby got to sneak away from camp for a night to get dinner with Dylan and her family. It was so special and brought Abby so much joy to see Dylan. While Abby was serving with Connect, this was the only time that she got to see Dylan. The rest of the time Abby and Dylan relied on texting and FaceTime calls to communicate. Poor Dylan also received lots and lots of texts from Abby about rings, proposals, and when he was going to propose. Little did Abby know that Dylan was doing everything he possibly could to be ready to propose once Abby got back home! In fact, Dylan actually met Abby's dad at Dunkin Donuts to ask for his permission to propose one day before Abby got home from camp.

Dylan picked Abby up from camp, and it felt so good to be back together again!

The best day! The yes day! - It is still incredible to think about how well Dylan hid this day from Abby for so long. Once Abby got home from camp, Dylan and Abby traveled to the beach with Abby's family, and they went on a cruise with their best friends, Naomi and Justin. On both trips, Abby was more than ready for Dylan to get down on one knee. However, there was one piece of the proposal that was not ready, and it wasn't until the week of July 20th that Dylan was able to pick up Abby's ring. Abby spent the morning of July 20th getting her nails done with Morgan, her brother's girlfriend, who did not even know what was planned for Abby later in the day. After getting their nails done, Dylan came to pick up Abby to celebrate ten months of dating by going to La Parilla to eat and Oconee Veteran's Park to read the Bible together. Dylan's plan was executed beautifully, and after enjoying a delicious meal at LaPa (one of their favorites), Dylan drove Abby to OVP and got down on one knee! Neither one of us can remember what Dylan said while he was on one knee, but we are pretty sure that he asked Abby to marry him. Regardless, she said yes and of course, she cried tears of joy. While we can't remember exactly what Dylan said while he was down on one knee, before he proposed, he read from Psalm 34, verses one through three. It states, "I will extol the Lord at all times; his praise will always be on my lips. I will glory in the Lord; let the afflicted hear and rejoice. Glorify the Lord with me; let us exalt is name together." Dylan and Abby cannot wait for July 12, 2025 to become one and celebrate their marriage with all of their close family and friends. However, they are even more excited to begin their lives together and to exalt the Lord's name together. Looking back through their story, there have been incredibly happy times. There have been very difficult times. There has been so much growth in both Dylan and Abby as individuals and as a couple. Most importantly, they have seen the Lord's faithfulness and provision as they have walked with Him and together with each other through different seasons. The Lord has been so kind to them, and they cannot wait to begin their lives together, growing closer to the Lord together and making Him known in every possible way that they can.