The karaoke duet that started it all...

We met in April of 2022, right before I graduated from UF. I always thought God would let me meet my husband in college, but I did not expect him to show up a month before graduation- soon before I was going to move away. One night, I went out with my friends in Gainesville and my best friend, Holly, who had known Jacob, saw him at the arcade bar we were at. Before I knew it, Holly drags me over to where Jacob was standing and says “This is my friend Cheyenne. She’s single and pretty!” (thank you, Holly). I looked up at this man with bright blue eyes and a cowboy hat on- we shook hands and then went our separate ways and that was it… or so we thought. I had heard of Jacob- I thought he was cute and he had a great reputation, but I didn’t think anything woud come of our awkward intro. A few hours later, my friends and I were holding down the karaoke bar and singing banger after banger together. Next thing I know, Jacob and his friends walk in while I’m singing Wagon Wheel. Later on, a country song (Body Like A Backroad) comes on and the friend who had signed us up to sing it had just left. I got up to sing it alone and Holly hands the other microphone to Jacob who was standing nearby (thank you AGAIN, Holly). We sang the duet together and had so much fun. After that, he asked for my number and the rest was history.

We spent the next few months falling in love in Gainesville. I moved back home for a few months and so did he. I was planning to move to Tampa after graduation and everything seemed to be falling into place. We were doing long distance but knew that God would work everything out - spoiler alert- He did. I moved to Tampa in September, and Jacob found a job in Tampa and moved down in October. We got to explore our new city and continue learning about each other. The move to Tampa was justified again when Jacob got accepted into medical school 20 minutes from his apartment. On July 17th, Jacob proposed to me and we began the journey of wedding planning, marriage preparation, and medical school! I wouldn’t change a single part of our story and I thank God every day for it. <3

Our first selfie <3

About a year after graduating, I told my roommate that I was becoming eager to find my wife. He told me, you should stop looking and trust God. A few nights later after a Gators baseball game, I asked my friends if they wanted to check out this arcade bar downtown. After a few games of ski ball, Holly, a friend of mine, ran up and greeted me. Before I could even say a word, she said, "This is my friend Cheyenne, she's pretty and single." And to her right, illuminated by the bluish glow of Galaga, stood the prettiest girl I had ever laid eyes on. My first thought was, that is one beautiful smile. My second thought--keep your cool. I chuckled and said nice to meet you, and then we parted ways. I walked around downtown with my friends after that, just wondering how I could meet Holly's friend again. Later as we were passing a karaoke place, I begged my friend Will to go in there and sing "What's Up?" After 5 minutes of convincing, he finally agreed, and I walked in to see Cheyenne! Next thing I know, her friends hand me the microphone and we sing "Body Like a Backroad" together. I then watched her belt some Alicia Keys, and I thought, "Wow, she’s pretty and she sings." Before leaving, I asked for her Snapchat, after which she graciously redirected me to her number. I waited a day to reach out, and I could hardly go to sleep because I could only think about her and that smile. We started dating soon after.

I had known about Cheyenne. She served in Young Life and was friends with some of the most godly people. As I got to know her, I was blown away by her heart for Jesus. As our relationship has grown, God’s hand has been evident. We knew that at the end of that summer we met, she would be moving to Tampa, and we were preparing for long distance. But, after a month of her living down there, God opened the door for me to move nearby. Exploring Tampa while falling deeper in love with my best friend made me remember something my dad told me long ago. I asked him how he knew he wanted to ask my mom to marry him. His response was that it just felt natural with her. Loving Cheyenne, spending time with her, dating her--it all felt so natural. As we made a long drive up to Georgia for a family get-together, just a week before I was to start medical school, she kept asking me why my hands were so sweaty. The look on her face told me she was sleuthing something out. She started asking if her nails were pretty and regretted not bringing a dress. As fate would have it, her sister just happened to buy her a dress and my cousin-in-law took her out to get her nails done. Riding the gondola up Stone Mountain, my heart was pounding more than ever. I had prepared a heartfelt speech for her, but the moment I turned to face her, everything I wrote was out the window. Like I told you on that mountain, Cheyenne, I love you and I can't wait to spend the rest of my life with you! PTL (Praise the Lord!)