As told by the groom...

Thank you all for being involved and a part of mine and Camille's lives in any way. As I reflect on childhood memories, I think of the first church our family visited in Auburn where 90% of Sunday School class had the last name Thomas or Anders, and Camille would chase me all over the playground. I can recall churning butter at a Little House on the Prairie themed birthday party when Camille turned 8. I watched my two sisters’ countless dance recitals, yet little did I know that the star of the show always had a bit of my attention. Throughout college, she spent many more days in the library than I did, and only a few times did we find each other there. Somehow, we ended up on the same trip to Nicaragua, overseas, and in a third-world country at the beginning of an international outbreak. Later, we found ourselves at the Pine Cove Ridge in Columbus, Texas where I poked fun and teased her again like we were back in Sunday School. The last I remember seeing Camille in Auburn, she was walking up the steps of Samford Hall, and I was graduating and moving to the biggest city I had ever seen.

Living in Washington can be quite different than our previous twenty-ish years in Home Sweet Auburn, it’s not easy leaving the greatest place on earth for a "swamp." However, DC has taught me how to live, grow up, and how to love. In the spring of 2023, I made it back to the South for my best friend’s wedding, where I found Camille again. She was going through the same processing I was a year prior— deciding where to live after graduation. Like me, the option was Auburn or 700 miles away in the nation’s Capitol. I jumped at the chance to defend DC and raved about all it has to offer with young college grads looking for a new experience. Weeks went by and I really didn’t think she would move. Then I heard about a job opening in Coach Tuberville’s office and immediately called Camille. I called her out of the blue and she picked up immediately. I told her about the job, and she cut me off and said, “I’ll do it.” Before I knew it, she had interviewed and gotten the job and left me quite impressed.

Once Camille arrived, I so graciously offered to show her around the city while introducing her to new friends and places. As we kept spending time together, it didn’t take long before I realized there was no chance I would wait around long enough to let someone else ask her out — so I swooped in.

As weeks and months went by it was evident to me that Camille is a Godly woman. She cares for others so well and seeks out the lowly. She heeds counsel from others and uses wise discernment. She lives and embodies Christ in all that she does. She makes life full of a joy I never knew possible. Camille is everything I want to be, and more. I am just the luckiest man in the world to spend the rest of my life with her.

We hope you all can join us as we celebrate and ask that you pray alongside us as we join in this covenant of marriage.

P.S. A big thanks to Ron for calling and giving me the go-ahead to date Camille when she moved up to DC.

Photos