When I was a junior in high school my friends and I went to our annual Mardi Gras Parade in Fairhope. After the parade, we went back to a friends house for a bonfire where I met a girl from Suwanee Georgia named Elle. She had come to visit our good friend Caroline and during the night she told me she was planning on going to Auburn and that maybe we would see each other around in a year. Sure enough, at the very end of October of my freshman year, I was with some friends at a swing dancing party when I saw Elle. We talked for a few minutes when her roommate walked up telling her she was ready to go because it was getting late and she was cold (typical Bridget). Elle then introduced me to Bridget and we had the typical college conversation of “Hey where are you from, what’s your major blah blah blah” but I immediately thought she was so easy to talk to and also really cute. We all went our separate ways that night not really knowing if anything would come from meeting each other. At least I didn’t! Then the next day I get a text from my friend Caroline from home saying she heard I had seen Elle and met Bridget the night before. She then told me she gave my number to Bridget because she needed a date to her sororities formal. Immediately, I was excited because Bridget seemed great and cute and I was excited to get to know her. However, days turned into a week and a half and I never heard from her until 3 days before formal. Bridget asked me to go with her, and In all honesty we both had to ask our friends to help us find each other at pictures because we really didn’t remember what each other looked like since we had only met once. Essentially complete strangers, Bridget and I went to semi-formal and it was a blast. We danced, laughed, and talked about everything we could think on the bus ride. Bridget desired so deeply to know me and talking to her was like talking to an old friend. That night was incredible to say the least. However, after formal we kinda went our separate ways wondering when the next time our paths might cross. Finally, on the last day of Thanksgiving break I texted her and asked her to get lunch on campus and we ate at the super romantic chicken salad chick, and to cap it off I didn’t even pay for her food because I didn’t know where we stood with each other. After that we would see each other around but that was about it.

In February, my guy friends and her girlfriends took a spontaneous trip that solidified our friend groups together and made seeing Bridget a lot easier. We grew closer as friends, and on Spring Break she asked me to go to Spring formal with her. At this point I liked Bridget and wanted to make more time for just us, but summer was right around the corner and starting a relationship seemed tough given our summer plans. Formal was a lot of the same. We loved being with one another. She made me laugh and I knew that I would love to spend everyday with Bridget. We didn’t define our relationship before the summer and in her side of the story I’m sure she will tell you how confusing and non committed I seemed even though we both knew we liked each other. That summer I received a letter in the mail my 3rd week of camp. As cheesy as it sounds, reading this letter was the moment I knew I was going to pursue Bridget no matter what. In her letter she sent me, she caught me up on her summer and encouraged me by telling me what she saw in me and how she had loved getting to know me freshman year. Against popular opinion, I let my best friend read this letter. Halfway through he folded it up and gave it back and said “Man I’ve been your closest friend the past 5 years and Bridget just put into words how I see and feel about you. So if she can know you for 6 months and know you this deeply then I’ll be on board if you want to pursue her.”

After I got back from Texas and Bridget got back from Portugal we came back to Auburn and spent 2 weeks together before classes started and we truly fell in love with the time we spent together. September 28th we went on a date to Atlanta and I asked her to be my girlfriend and thankfully she said yes.

Knowing and being known by Bridget is one of the greatest blessings of my life. Since this time, dating and now being engaged to Bridget has been extremely fun, encouraging, and always exactly where we want to be.

I haven't known much of my Auburn experience without Jordan Frank somehow intertwined. I met Jordan for the first time briefly on the top of the stadium deck after a swing dancing night freshman year. My roommate at the time, Elle, who was my close high school friend, had met him a few years ago through her close friend Caroline, who went to high school with Jordan. I came up on their conversation to tell her I was ready to leave and ended up meeting Jordan. I didn't think much of it but I do remember thinking he was pretty cute! Soon after I ran into the problem of needing a date for my first sorority function in November of freshman year. After complaining about it to Elle, she said that she would text Jordan to see if he would want to go with me. He replied pretty promptly and said that he would love to. At this time in my life I wasn't the best about texting and didn't follow up with Jordan until a couple days before the semi-formal (Jordan will say it was the day of) but I had also realized that Jordan Frank was a pretty popular guy around the sorority function scene so I also didn't want to give him too much attention. We ended up meeting again for what felt like the first time at semi-formal pictures and had a sweet night together. Jordan was kind to ask me how college had been so far and truly cared to hear about the hard things and the good things. He was sweet, caring, fun to be around, easy to talk to, clearly loved the Lord, cute AND he knew how to swing dance. It was safe to say I had a crush on Jordan Frank after that night. I didn't think I had much of a chance with him so I didn't let myself get too far ahead. Until, Jordan called me the day we got back from Thanksgiving Break asking If I would want to get lunch sometime the next week. I was so excited, but again, didn't want to think too much of it. In true freshman fashion, we got lunch at Chicken Salad Chick on campus, caught up and went our separate ways, not much came of it. I was left kind of confused after this "date?" but knew that I wanted to keep Jordan around.

Our dorms were right next to each other so most of the rest of fall semester were small encounters and brief times of catching up in the quad or student center in passing. We kept up every now and then but I still wasn't sure of the chances I had with Jordan. It wasn't until spring semester of freshman year that I got to see more of Jordan. Our friend groups combined to be who we now know as some of our closest and sweetest friends and a big chunk of our wedding party! I would have never believed that if you told me then. We would spend a good bit of time together in group settings, the second half of spring break and would often be in groups studying in the library together. I still had the biggest crush on Jordan and it only grew the more time I got to spend with him. I could tell he treated me differently than other girls and cared to know more about me. I got nervous and excited even at the idea of seeing him some days. We were a lot closer as summer rolled around, but Jordan was going to camp and I was leaving for Portugal for the summer so I didn't think much else would come of it. I remember writing down a prayer that asked the Lord to be in this and even if having Jordan in my life was just as a friend, I was okay with that.

Summer came around and we kept up pretty well through texts and phone calls. I wrote Jordan a letter at camp (which I now know changed a lot for him) but didn't think too much of it. We kept up through the end of summer and I could tell that he wanted to talk to me just as much as I wanted to talk to him. I was so excited every time I saw his name pop up on my phone and I couldn't wait to get back to Auburn to spend some time with him.

We both made it back to Auburn a week before classes started so we had a lot of time to catch up and hangout before the semester got going. I remember trying to find any reason to get my roommate Ally to come with me to his house or for him to come over with his roommate Jack because I didn't want to be too forward about it all. We had a whole lot of fun the first few weeks of school with all our friends and I kept hoping that something would come of it, but at this point I was just waiting for Jordan to make a move. There were multiple times I told my roommates I just wish he would do something about it, but I waited! Finally one day after class we ran into each other at the student center. Jordan insisted that he wanted to walk me back to my apartment (an almost 30 minute walk in 90 degree Alabama summer weather). We began our walk back talking about anything and everything and finally once we reached the inside of my apartment, Jordan asked me on a date! It was the beginning of a couple weeks of dating until a Friday night date in Atlanta where Jordan Frank finally asked me to be his girlfriend and I felt like the luckiest girl in the world.

I wouldn't change my story with Jordan for anything (even if at the time I did want him to just ask me out already). I now know him as my best friend, biggest encourager, first phone call, favorite hug, and best picture of the Father's unconditional love for me. I can't believe that I have the honor and privilege of being his wife.