When people ask me why I love Jeffrey I tend to be at a loss for words. Not for lack of reasons, but there are so many… He puts his own needs aside for the people he loves. His drive and self-discipline towards all aspects of his personal and professional life. His silly side that becomes exposed as his serious side melts away. But, my favorite reason why I love him is that he is the one I prayed for.

During my college years at Auburn, everyone was fascinated with meeting your “Auburn True Love.” I have seen it with my own eyes through friends and family members that are happily married to their true love they met while at Auburn. However, that wasn’t the case for me. I didn’t feel like there was anyone there for me (and now I know it’s because there wasn’t). So, I turned to the Lord in prayer. Almost every night I began asking the Lord, if he was going to make me wait for my true love, if I could give him a few requests… Could my true love play songs for me on the guitar and maybe sing, too? Could he love me unconditionally? Could he be tall and handsome? As the Lord made me wait, the more I asked for… I prayed my true love would be patient with me, be someone I would never get tired of being around and they would never get tired of me, someone that would not get on my nerves or annoy me, and that the next person I intentionally dated would be my person. College came and went. I headed home after graduation.

Later that summer, I asked my girlfriends to join me for dinner to celebrate my birthday in downtown Alpharetta. That night, after dinner, we made our way to the rooftop of Jekyll and giggled the night away. It was there I bumped into Jeffrey. I didn’t even recognize him, but he remembered me. We had met briefly almost 8 months prior on New Year’s Eve at Truck & Tap through mutual friends. Our conversation had been cut short, because two of my friends had become tangled in their barstools and knocked each other backwards tumbling out. This funny incident led my friends and I rushing to help; separating Jeffrey and I until we bumped into each other that summer night almost 8 months later. We spent the rest of the night getting to know each other until my friends finally had to pull me away because the rooftop was closing for the night. As we said goodbye, Jeffrey asked if he could see me again the next day.

We went on our first official date the next day at Butcher and Brew. We, again, ended the night closing the rooftop of Jekyll getting to know each other. This date was like no date I had been on before. Jeffrey asked me what felt like the most random questions, but he was taking note of all of my answers. Studying me like a favorite subject in school.

We continued to see each other almost every day. Inseparable we were. I met some of his friends on our second date. Boy was I surprised to see so much curly hair get out of such a large truck. (This was my first time meeting his friend Gavin, he had a long curly mullet. What an introduction.) We all went to Truck & Tap to play Singo (Bingo, but instead of numbers called out songs are played for 30 seconds in which you cross them off your bingo card to win). Before taking me home that night, Jeffrey wanted to show me his farm and camper he lived in. (Glamorous I know!! My dad’s buddy, Kiley, had asked me where I met this guy… “Famersonly.com ?”) When my mom saw my location leave downtown Alpharetta she immediately called me a mile down the road and proceeded to warn me that Jeffrey could be a serial killer taking me back to “his farm” as a trick. But in reality, that night we rode the gator 4-wheeler around the farm and I met his dogs Easton and Taylor. Then, as a perfect gentleman would, he took me home. Once I got home, my mom told me I must invite Jeffrey to Sunday Brunch the next day, because she needed to meet this ‘serial killer’. So for our third date he met my family for Sunday brunch (back at Butcher & Brew) and my mom realized he was not a serial killer and gave her stamp of approval. This was all within one week since we had ‘bumped into each other’ on that rooftop of Jekyll. The more time I spent with Jeffrey, the more I learned about him and his heart, and the more I fell for him.

Since that very first week, Jeffrey and I have spent almost every day together. From probably hundreds of nightly dinners at my parents, lake days with Captain El Jefe (Jeffrey) driving the boat, Jeffrey’s first concert and the 15 other concerts that followed, 16 trips near and far, meeting his wonderful family and welcoming our sweet baby niece, Anna, into the world, and of course many pool days with Daisy, movie night snuggles with Easton, and Jeffrey strumming the guitar for Taylor (& me). Even with us spending so much time together, he will still catch me staring at him. Nevertheless, I study him just about every day. Noting each detail, so when I pray each night I can thank the Lord for this love he has given me.