Gareth - Susanville, CA 7:53 am

"Hey Morgan, I'm Gareth :), I really don't do this ever but I randomly saw your profile on my Facebook and thought, Wow you're really pretty! So I thought I might send you a friend request. We also happen to know a bunch of the same people."

Morgan: Charleston, SC 10:58 am (headed to the airport to fly to Greece - shoutout to Tori and Janci's weddings)

*Receives message from a cute boy on Facebook and immediately reaches out to Tiphani (mutual close friend) to get the scoop*

Morgan: "Do you know this guy??"

Tiphani: "Yes! Amazing guy"

Morgan proceeds to message Gareth back 1.5 hours later (which feels like an eternity to Gareth) and says...

"Hey! This is so sweet, thank you!!! Yes, we do know a TON of mutual people!" *A few messages later after Morgan informs Gareth that she is currently moving to England*

Gareth: "I am really stoked that you are heading to the UK but it would've been sweet to connect over some coffee"

Morgan: "We could always do a virtual coffee haha"

Gareth: "Actually I'd love that! Do you have time this week?"

Morgan: "I will be in Greece but I will have some time in the morning or tomorrow"

Gareth: "Oh wow casually in Santorini"

*All of Morgan's friends nod their heads and say yes, yes that sounds like her"

We proceed to find a date to meet up on Facetime. On the morning of June 17th, Morgan was in Greece for Janci's wedding, one of her best friends, and at the same time, Gareth was in Susanville the night of June 16th. We called for exactly 1 hour and 43 minutes and it was really fun getting to know one another and share all the things we had in common, from our love for Jesus to mutual friends. from life experiences to favorite movies and cars! You could say we HIT IT OFF, the call was so comfortable and easy from the start!

June 30th, 2024

Setting:

Morgan had just landed in London for her international move to the UK and Gareth was in Susanville...still. Morgan was visiting with the Winslow's for a few days while they were in town.

Gareth and Morgan decided to hop on a call, they thought it would just be a quick catch up but the call ended up lasting 3.5 hours into the wee hours of the night (for Morgan). It was on that call, which we both agree on, that turning was the turning point of our dating relationship. We went from casual to not-so-casual in the blink of a few hours. That conversation sparked a trend of hours and hours of phone calls every single day during the month of July where we continued to get to know each other more intentionally.

It was August 4th, 2024! We had been dating long-distance since June and it was a much-awaited trip. Morgan was traveling back to the US to start her visa process. We decided to meet up in Redding, CA because this was the perfect place for Morgan to see friends and Gareth was only two hours away. So, on August 4th, Gareth made the drive to Redding from Susanville, and around 5:30 pm, we locked eyes for the very first time in person. We ate chicken curry and during dinner, Gareth stopped the little chit-chat and asked Morgan to be his girlfriend. That night, we watched our favorite movie together (About Time) and shared our first kiss! It was so magical. A special shoutout to Helen and Christopher Frost for the meeting place and for letting us do date nights at their home for a solid week! We love you and we are so thankful for your family.

Head to Morgan's Insta or Facebook to see the video and photos of our engagement. A big shoutout to Amy Smith and Andrew Probstfeld for capturing the moment!

Insta: @Mo_chedda_

https://www.instagram.com/mo_chedda_/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/morgan.barnhill.10

After an amazing Christmas at the Barnhill residence, It was time for Gareth to move to London with Morgan! We were set to fly out of Houston on January 1st. Before we set off to England, Morgan had found the perfect apartment for herself and eventually for Gareth once he moved in after the wedding. So , once they arrived in London their main priority was to move Morgan’s things over to the new apartment. On arrival at the new apartment, we quickly found out that the apartment was not ready to be moved into. The boiler in the apartment had broken which meant there as no heat or hot water in the apartment. It was absolutely freezing we laughed as we could see our breathe inside! Not the ideal way we wanted to move Morgan into her new apartment but after a few calls and a number of visits by some great contractors, they installed a new boiler and we had heat!
As time has gone on, we have been making the new apartment feel more like home and adding have added our own magic to the place. We both love our new neighborhood and are starting to feel right at home here in London. The community that we have here in London has been so supportive and welcoming to the new changes and have Hosted Gareth in the mean time until we get married in March.