Avery: When Will came to pick me up for our first date it was in the evening- we were going to get a couple beers. I heard a knock at the door and he looked so flustered- he started to profusely apologize that he had a flat tire and needed me to hold a flashlight for him. I found it comical, he found it embarrassing. The fact that he changed the tire in under 5 minutes was downright impressive. He was convinced I wouldn't want to go on another date with him after the tire incident, but clearly he was wrong. Since then we have gone on countless hunting and fishing adventures, started a home together, and added a dog and two cats. I found my best friend and am so excited to start our lives together.

Will: In the fall of 2017 I made the trip from my home in Bluefield, Virginia to Blacksburg to take Avery out for a few drinks at a local bar. During my trip a GPS detour took me up a gravel road resulting in a slow leaking flat tire that expelled the last of its air just as I pulled into her driveway. After five minutes of mental preparation as to how I was going to tell her that I had to change a tire before going on our date, I knocked on her door and broke the news. To my surprise she was more than willing to hold my flashlight for the job and laughed it off. A few minutes later we were on the road to the bar. In the summer of 2018 Avery and I tackled one of the hardest challenges we would face as a couple when I left for 16 weeks at the West Virginia State Police Academy. With only one day a week to spend together and no communication otherwise, it was a tough time but we made it through. Since then we have started a home and a (furry) family together. As we move forward I cannot wait to begin the rest of our lives together.

Avery: We got engaged while fishing on Laurel Bed Lake... in the pouring rain. Will was determined to catch a small mouth bass that day to prove that "your eyes are the color of a small mouth bass" is a compliment- it is. We had been using crawfish as bait and Will lost his and said he needed a new one. I was fishing off the bow when he said, "Hey babe look at this crawdad!" I turned around and he was down on one knee with the bait net in his hand. Inside of it was an agitated crustacean and an engagement ring! I of course said yes!

Will: On May 11th, 2019 I suddenly came down with a terrible illness that I refer to as "fishing fever." After calling in sick to work Avery and I made the two hour journey to my favorite place to fish for small mouth bass, Laurel Bed Lake in Saltville, Virginia. But it wasn't just small mouth on my mind that day, I had hopes to catch a partner for life. After having my bait stolen by a sly small mouth bass I went to the live well to get another live craw fish. I selected the most ornery one in the tank and placed the engagement ring in the net beneath the crustacean and presented it to Avery. She said yes and after some panic was able to take the ring from the angry creature. The rest, as they say, is history.