Ashley and I met through a mutual friend, Heather Wells. I work with Heather at Tate and Lyle and Ashley went to high school and college with Heather. With Ashley and I both coming out of long term relationships, Heather was confident we would be a good match. Heather gave me Ashley's information and I reached out to her to get to know one another. We talked for a few weeks and had great conversations.

The first time we met was in January at a game night hosted by Heather. I was floored the moment I saw her, She was so beautiful. We had a really great time and I knew I wanted to pursue a relationship with her.

Then came March.....Lockdown time. This was a blessing in disguise for us. This gave us a really good opportunity to get to know each other, one on one. I remember nights where we would just sit on the couch, and answer relationship questionnaires off the internet. Our relationship grew exponentially. Meeting the parents came and those meetings went great.

Summer was amazing. We went on vacation to Anna Maria Island in July and had a unforgettable week. We went up to Chicago several times to visit with Ashley's sisters and explore Chicago.

In August I had conversations with my family and close friends about my future with Ashley. I knew we had something special and I could see myself spending the rest of my life with her. I began to look for rings and in September I went to visit Valerie, Ashley's friend from high school, at Flora Gems and found the ring I knew Ashley would love.

In October it was time to ask Ashley's parents for their blessing. Tim and Donna were happy for us and provided their blessing. Also in October Ashley and I contracted Covid-19. We were extremely lucky to have mild cases and we only lost our taste and smell. Ashley regained her senses after a few days but it took me approx. six weeks to get everything back.

The proposal was next. I knew exactly how I wanted to do it, GAME NIGHT. The first time we met was at a game night and the night I met Ashley's family we played games all night. I worked with Donna on ideas and we were able to come up with a fun plan to have me propose in front of the Patton family during the Thanksgiving weekend. We had a minor delay of a week with Tim contracting Covid-19 in mid-November. Tim also had a mild case with his only issue being a high fever. December 5th was the day. We celebrated Thanksgiving at Tim and Donna's house in Forsyth. I had seen a game on social media and I knew I wanted to play that game to propose to Ashley. We would team up and I would draw a picture on a piece of paper taped to Ashley's back. As I was drawing the picture Ashley would try and replicate the drawing just by feeling me draw it. I drew an engagement ring and Ashley drew a snowman's head with a top hat, LOL. When Ashley turn around to see what I had drew I was on my knee and I asked her to marry me. She said YES! I was beyond excited.

We immediately started planning the wedding and decided to get married on the beach on Anna Maria Island in Florida. We are so happy to get to experience this with all of you.