While Garrison and I both attended Bishop Carroll, we didn't actually meet until he was a sophomore at Kansas State University and I was a freshman at Wichita State. He was roommates with Preston, who was dating (now engaged to) my friend Bri. One day, while visiting friends in Manhattan, we went to hang out at Preston's house, and that's where Garrison and I really clicked. The next day, Garrison added me on Snapchat, and we continued chatting.


A few weekends later, I visited my friends again and we ended up hanging at Preston's house again, with Garrison. The next morning, Garrison texted me, asking if I wanted to grab breakfast. My friends decided to spy on our date from a distance, but the plan didn’t work out. I accidentally went to the wrong restaurant, ran a red light rushing to the correct one, and by the time I arrived, the wait was too long for my friends to stick around. Despite the chaos, Garrison and I had an amazing date. When my friends asked for any juicy details, I could only tell them how much I enjoyed myself.


For our second date, Garrison and I went to see Christmas lights and watched a movie at his house. I'll never forget how his families surprised expressions when he brought his "friend" home unexpectedly.


After a month of dating, Garrison asked me to be his girlfriend on January 4th, and we’ve been inseparable ever since. I am so grateful to share my life with him.


In early November, my friend Holli asked if I could model for her photography portfolio. She was applying for a job at K-State and needed more photos. I wasn’t initially going to make Garrison join me, but he surprisingly wanted to come along, which hinted that something was up. The Monday before the photoshoot, I chipped my front tooth on a Starburst mini bag. Despite the bad timing, I couldn’t get it fixed until the following Tuesday. Holli assured me she would edit the chip out. On Saturday, November 2nd, it rained all day, so we brought umbrellas to Swanson Park, and Holli had to cover her camera with a plastic bag.


As we walked around, Holli snapped pictures and suggested we turn our backs to her and walk towards a bridge. While we were walking, Garrison began telling me how much he loved me and how excited he was to spend the rest of his life with me. That’s when I realized, "Oh dang, it’s really happening!" Garrison got down on one knee and asked me to marry him. Of course, I said yes! Afterward, he surprised me with a gathering of both our families, where we celebrated with food and enjoyed the company of our loved ones. Garrison planned everything perfectly, and I couldn’t have asked for a better proposal.


Now, it’s our turn to work together to plan the perfect wedding day, and we can’t wait for our big day. We hope you can join us because each and every one of you has played an important part in our lives. See you on July 26th!