I’ve been thinking for some time how I want to handle writing our story. Should I give a bulleted list of events? Should I spice up my vocabulary and write something worthy of the Pulitzer Prize? Then I asked myself, “What do other people want from a story? Do they just want the facts? Do they want dramatization? What are the consequences of our story being too long or too short?” I felt like I was back in English class, shooting for that unattainable 100% essay score!


Ultimately, I believe people want a story tied up in a nice bow, with a clear “beginning, middle, end” flow. Unfortunately, this is not the story you’re about to read. Cassidy and I have been together for barely a year; and yet, I hope to be with her for another 80. Our story thus far is barely a prelude, much less an entire book! Available now is the beginning of our story, truly the beginning of our beginning. It is with this realization that I sit down and write about our wonderful prelude, joyfully aware that our story will continue for the remainder of our lives.


Cassidy and I met at church on October 10, 2021, in a Young Professionals Sunday school class. My first words to her were, “Hey I’m Champ. We’re going to a Mexican place. I like cheese dip”; at least, that’s how she remembers them. Moments later, I saw her stroll into the restaurant and promptly sit as far away from me as possible. Was this intentional? Heaven only knows. At the moment, I was just happy to see a new face show up for our Sunday lunch!


This marked the beginning of Cassidy’s involvement with our church, and within days she was coming to every social event – pumpkin carvings, game nights, movie viewings, you name it! For a while, we would see each other only in group settings. We would make fun of each other and laugh together; we always enjoyed each other’s company. I’d get a little more excited when I knew she was attending an event, and I’d be a little disappointed when I knew she wasn’t.


Eventually, I put two-and-two together and thought, “Maybe I’d like to spend some one-on-one time with this girl.” The day was December 22, 2021, and I knew she wasn’t working a full day. I asked her on our first date, though I didn’t frame it as a date; I simply asked if she wanted to accompany me while I got a delicious Seeds mocha and played on my laptop. Lucky for me, she agreed! We chatted for a couple hours as she worked, and I suggested we go to Dave & Buster’s once she finished. After annihilating her at some arcade games, we played putt putt (we tied 43-43). Then, we went back to my condo and watched the first episode of Breaking Bad (upon her suggestion). We talked for a few minutes after the episode ended, and then I noticed it was 3:00 AM… maybe we talked for longer than a few minutes! By the time I took her back to Seeds for her car, it was 3:45 AM. I hadn’t stayed up that late probably since college! We hugged and parted ways, both knowing this wouldn’t be the last of our “one-on-one time.”


We saw each other more often after that day. I made her rock climb; she made me watch some Hallmark Christmas movies. I knew quickly that I wanted her as my girlfriend, so I asked to make it official on January 8, 2022. Lucky for me (again), she agreed! Since that moment, we’ve added some routines to our relationship that help us stay connected and ensure we prioritize each other.


One such routine is our weekly book discussion. We select a book together, read one chapter each week, and meet Saturday mornings at a coffee shop to discuss it. These books usually focus on how to center our relationship around Christ, and they’ve led to many enriching conversations that may not have otherwise occurred. We have read two full books so far (Seven Desires by Mark & Debbie Laaser, The Sacred Search by Gary Thomas). Currently, we are reading through a devotional called Together With Christ by Chelsea Damon. Through these conversions, Cassidy and I are able to understand each other better, understand our needs/desires, and determine how we can apply this knowledge for each other and for the Kingdom. Additionally, these meetings allow us to explore different coffee shops every Saturday! Come to us for all your Birmingham coffee shop questions.


Another helpful routine is our quarterly trips. Each quarter (three months), we take a small trip to get away and focus on each other. These trips have been amazing experiences coupled with intentional time together. Our first trip was February 25-28, 2022, in Gatlinburg, TN. We rented a way-too-large cabin with two bedrooms, and we had a blast! Cassidy had never been to Gatlinburg, so it was special seeing how much she enjoyed the area. Our other trips have included Six Flags (Atlanta), Disney World, and Orange Beach! We went back to Gatlinburg for our most recent trip, but I’ll come back to that trip shortly…


For her first birthday of our relationship (November 14, 2022), I bought us Fox Theatre season tickets. These shows occur roughly once a month, and it gives us another opportunity to spend intentional time together. The drive to Atlanta is two hours, so this builds in a fun all-day activity once a month! The shows we’ve seen thus far include Frozen, Pretty Woman, Anastasia, Hadestown, and Tina. Remaining in the season are A Soldier’s Play, Moulin Rouge, Hairspray, and Wicked. We also saw Dear Evan Hansen at the BJCC in Birmingham. We love theatre, and we take every opportunity to see a good show.


While not a “routine” per se, I would be remise not to mention our obsession with games. Underneath Cassidy’s coffee table is an avalanche of card/board games we’ve compiled throughout our relationship. These games include Monopoly Deal, Mancala, Exploding Kittens, Ticket to Ride, Catan 2-Player, another version of Catan 2-player… and the list goes on and on! We set aside time to play games at least once a week, often after our book discussion at our chosen coffee shop. Typically, we’ll play until I win. Cassidy can handle going to bed a loser; I cannot.


I knew I wanted to marry Cassidy by September 2022, but I thought it wise to wait. After all, marriage is no joke! Perhaps the most important decision of our entire lives is our choice in life partner. Plus, I had a pretty good proposal idea in mind. We had a Gatlinburg trip planned February 17-21, 2023, to commemorate the one-year anniversary of our first trip. I was scheming for months leading up to this trip. I went secretly to a jewelry shop in Florence twice to discuss rings (two-hour drive both ways), I convinced a good friend (photographer) to take a trip to Gatlinburg during the same weekend, and I had been researching overlook areas to capture the moment. Some wrenches were thrown in my plan last minute, but we were engaged by the night of February 18, 2023.


Cassidy is everything I could have dreamed in a life partner. She’s kind, funny, smart, beautiful, and she has the best heart of anyone I know. It’s hard to imagine that I didn’t know she existed two years ago, and now she’s the most important person in my life. She’s the most amazing answered prayer I’ve ever received. On July 15, 2023, I’ll get to add “husband” to my short list of important titles, and words cannot express my excitement and gratitude that Cassidy will add “wife” alongside me. It will be an honor and a joy to share with our closest friends and family our lives’ most exciting moment, the end of our prelude and the beginning of Chapter 1.