Our story begins in the dusty winds of West Texas in fall of 2019.

If you ask Bethany:

It was my first semester at Texas Tech. My first time on my own (plus 3 roommates). I was peer pressured into downloading Tinder. I watched all my roomates having a blast on it. So, I thought “why not” and downloaded it too. It was just for fun I never thought anything would actually come of it. It didn’t take long until I matched with one Air Force Air Man - Bradley Southwick. We began talking through the app, then to Snapchat, then to staying up on FaceTime for hours. Eventually we decided to meet in person. Brad drove 2 hours from Clovis, NM to Lubbock, TX just to spend 1 night with me. I took him to Whataburger for his first time and spend the night watching movies and laughing. The morning came and we went our separate ways. Keeping in touch and still talking for a while. Eventually things just kind of fell off. Our lives were at very different places at that time. Flash to forward March 2023. Me and my sister decided to have a girls night out downtown. So of course I had to post a cute selfie. Not long after I get a reply to my story. It’s Bradley! A blast from the past! We picked up right where we left off! At the time he was back home with his family in New York. He kept telling everyone “that’s my future wife!” I often wonder if he knew how true that would be. Brad was living with a friend in Killeen, TX. So, since he drove to see me all those years ago I drove down to see him. It didn’t take long after that. Every weekend and sometimes week days he would make the treck up to McKinney just to spend a few hours together. Eventually Brad decided to move in with me. We got our first dog Ellie. Later we moved into our house we have now in North Texas. Then we decided Ellie needed a friend and got another dog, Gracie. And if being a pet parent to 2 loyal dogs wasn’t enough we became parents to our beautiful baby girl Winsley in June 2025. We’ve had our ups and downs together but everything happens for a reason. I truly believe that Gods hand has been steering us towards eachother. I’m so excited for this next chapter in our lives!

If you ask Bradley:

I just recently graduated basic training and technical training and was stationed in Clovis New Mexico at Cannon Air Force Base. It was a major adjustment with just leaving home and my family behind being that it was all I ever knew. I recall getting my orders to Cannon and the first thing I was told by the sergeant that handed me my orders was “where do you want to go” I said “Elmendorf Alaska” he said “oooo that sucks your going to cannon New Mexico. The mission is cool the base sucks”. Overall it’s what you make of it! Little did I know I would just cross paths with the person who I’d be spending my life with. I say cross paths because our time together was short lived after spending just one night together. The funny thing is the next morning as I was leaving Bethany said “don’t be a stranger”. So we continued talking for some time after and eventually it mutually fell off. I always wondered what happened but given the certain point in our lives it was probably what was best for us and what’s meant to be will be. In my mind Bethany was the one that got away and many moons later our paths eventually crossed again. Ironically, this was when I just separated from the military and was home in New York visiting with my family. Low and behold one night at the good time saloon with friends and family Bethany came across my story and I took a shot literally and figuratively and I said hello and by some miracle she responded! We hit it off like we were never apart and continued talking but this time didn’t stop. Truth is, I did say that’s my future wife and honestly I didn’t expect our journey to ever reach this point but I know I always wanted it to! So, that was just what happened last week! Just kidding, it was 2023. I made my way back to Texas and we decided to meet up again and more on regular basis! We eventually moved in together got our first dog and had our share of ups and downs and I wouldn’t have it any other way. It is those moments that led to the very path we are on and where we are today. We now have two dogs and our sweet beautiful daughter and eachother and for that I am blessed. That is our journey and certainly wasn’t the journey I expected but I did say “that is my future wife”! It is now 2025 and can whole heartedly say that Bethany has been nothing shy of a blessing. I look forward to what the future brings as we walk this path together.

“An invisible string that connects those who are destined to meet regardless of time, place, or circumstance. The thread may stretch or tangle but never break.”