My buddy, Samuel, invited a few of us to Nashville for a Connor Smith concert on June 3rd. At the time, my other friend, JD, was dating Ashlynn who was working in Nashville. Me and JD hopped in the car that Friday and headed North. On the drive up, JD was telling me about the girls we would be hanging out with during our stay, including the one that was “off limits” due to just getting out of a serious relationship. Our weekend started on Friday night when us buds went out to eat with Ashlynn, her friends, mom, and aunt. This is when I first laid eyes on a pretty little brunette with brown eyes, Shelby Floyd. Our Friday night didn’t end with hours of conversation or a long night out on the town, just a simple introduction.

The next night was the Connor Smith concert we had made the trip to Nashville for. This was a private concert in Brentwood that Samuel somehow got us invited to. After listening to songs about love, Tennessee, and hating Alabama we headed out for a night on the town. On the car ride back to the city, JD shows me a text message from Shelby saying “Cdogg better be ready”. This was the moment I had been waiting for and made my head the size of Empire State building. The thought of a beautiful girl A. Calling me Cdogg and B. Acknowledging me and wanting to see me gave me all the confidence in the world. We went out that night and all I wanted to do was talk to and impress the girl that told me I needed to “be ready”. It wasn’t until weeks later when I asked Shelby about the text and she had no clue that she sent it. It turned out that Ashlynn had sent the message to JD off Shelbys phone. That night after the concert we met up with Ashlynn’s group and spent the whole night hanging out. Thinking Shelby had sent that message to me, I could not leave her alone and probably talked her ear off. We sat next to each other the whole night and had a great time. I told her before she left that I just had to see her again and I ended up texting her the next day.

Shelby lived in Birmingham, and I lived in Huntsville so getting to see her was no easy task. We had made plans for her to come up to Huntsville the next weekend and for us to hang out that Friday. Things took a turn when she got in a wreck just minutes from my house. Instead of taking it as a sign not to see me, we made plans to see each other the following day. That Saturday, we went to the Martin in DT Huntsville and had brunch. We met up for brunch again the next day in Decatur. After that weekend we continued to see each other. I knew I had something special and as the romantic I am, I began to fall in love with her. I had only known Shelby for a few weeks and invited her to our annual family 4th of July beach trip. It was on that trip that I asked her to be my girlfriend.

We spent the later part of summer continuing to drive back and forth from Bham and Huntsville to see each other, taking trips together, growing spiritually, and becoming apart of one another’s family. Shelby not only was my girlfriend, but also was my best friend and confidant. After just a couple of months I knew I wanted to marry her.

It was in October that we went and looked at rings. I went and bought the ring the very next day. I held onto that ring for months until I could find the right time to put my plan into action. In December I took her parents to Texas Roadhouse for dinner. After talking to them I felt loved and that I would be welcomed into the family with open arms. All that was left was the proposal.

If you know Shelby, you know that you cannot get anything by this woman and I thought there was no possible way I could surprise her. Of course, I couldn’t do it by myself, so I sought help from Kaitlyn, Ashlynn, and others. The date we set was January 27, 2024, almost 8 months after that first weekend we met in Nashville. Our engagement turned out to be a very special night. I hired a photographer to capture the moment and we were surrounded by friends and family and yes, I DID surprise her.

Shelby is everything I have ever wanted in a girlfriend, fiancé, wife, mother, sister, you name it. The way she makes me feel is unlike anything I have ever experienced or thought I could experience. Her love for others is apparent through her job, the way she is talked about, and the way she loves Jesus. Our love story is a perfect example of Gods timing being greater than MY timing and with faith and prayer, God will put you in positions that you never thought were possible.

I was on a girls trip with my friend Ashlynn, her mom and her aunt in Nashville. Carson was there hanging out with the guys for a Conner smith concert that same weekend. We met initially at Dino’s, but it wasn’t until the next night we really had a conversation. Carson covered my tab as soon as I walked in the bar and then asked me to come talk with him. We spent the entire night laughing and talking about everything from pets to our jobs. He asked for my number and was adamant about wanting to see me again. His persistence was impeccable. Little did I know it was all because of a text that said “Cdog better be ready!” that never actually came from me. I remember laying down the night after we met so giddy about him and how excited I was to get to know him! We made plans to get dinner the very next weekend in Huntsville, but were delayed because I totaled my car on the way only minutes from his house. I called him to cancel and I’m sure he thought I was flaking until I sent him the pictures of my car 🤣 We ended up meeting the next morning for brunch in Decatur. I surprised him with 2 kinds of sour beers for his birthday. This is what I think convinced him I was the one! After only 2 weeks of talking, he invited me to the beach with his ENTIRE family. I don’t know who is crazier- him for asking, or me for going. 😉 Carson and his brother met me in Montgomery to pick me up so I didn’t have to drive after working all night. The first night we were there, I remember him introducing me to his good family friends Melanie and Scotty as his “friend”. I’m sure I gave him a Shelby look (IYKYK) after hearing that. We ended that night with him asking me to be his girlfriend. From game nights, to church on Sunday morning, they treated me like family and made me feel welcomed from the very beginning! One of my favorite memories from that trip was sitting on the couch with Carson and his nana watching church and her constantly saying “god bless you!” It didn’t take long for me to realize I wanted to spend the rest of my life with him. I remember a conversation at work with my friend Dianna telling her about how the beach trip went and the phrase “he’s the one” came out of my mouth. Everyone around us was so confused why we were both crying 😂.

Carson is everything I had prayed for in a man! His actions speak louder than his words and he never lets me go a day without knowing how much he loves me. I truly feel so undeserving of a love like ours. I am so lucky that I get to spend the rest of my life with him and cannot wait to marry him!!!