We first met each other at a Christmas party on December 9, 2022, when Carli was first moving to Austin. We then saw each other again at a crawfish boil several months later and then AGAIN at a fourth of July party, which is pretty unbelievable given Austin is one of the biggest cities in the U.S. and these run-ins were all with random groups of people! As Ben puts it, God was saying "Ben…THIS IS YOUR WIFE!!!" At the fourth of July party, we found ourselves gravitating towards each other and by the end of the night we had talked for hours and hours. From there, we've been inseparable. Both falling in love incredibly hard and fast; seeing a future together from the beginning. "When you know, you know." We knew.

We can both look back at various moments over the course of our relationship where it became more evident this was a forever thing. For instance, a couple of weeks into it we spent a week at Ben’s parents’ lake house in Hot Springs, Arkansas. So many wonderful memories were made there but one in particular was when we made dinner, took the boat out, and ate in a nearby cove as the sun went down. Ben played guitar, we talked, wishing we could do this every night. We then boated back to the lake house, listening to country music, hoping that "every night" was something God had in store for us. Another was when we went to a Thomas Rhett, Cole Swindell, and Nate Smith concert together. In between sets, we snuck into a speakeasy at the venue and just talked. When the concert finished, we both agreed that our favorite part was the time we spent talking to each other in that speakeasy. We couldn’t (and still can’t) get enough of each other, and the simple things feel like…something I hope everyone feels with their person too.

Ben jumping in here. Three months later, I had a conversation with my grandfather and parents talking about engagement. I knew she was the one and the advice I got back was "well what are you waiting for??" A week later I bought an engagement ring and got down on a knee and asked Carli to marry me on the morning of October 13, 2023, in Chicago in Carli's childhood kitchen in front of her parents. She said yes; cementing our future together. What a life!

Up next is the greatest day of our lives on June 22, 2024, in Fredericksburg, Texas. We absolutely cannot wait to get married and start our life together and we can't wait for you to join us in celebrating!