My first encounter with Mason was when we were in high school. I can’t remember exactly when it started, but we had each other on social media. We had mutual friends through church (Kaylie Griffin and Catie Miller) who made the connection. We talked for maybe a month then we unadded each other and I thought that was that, wrong!! Fast forward to my summer before transferring to Freed-Hardeman University my junior year. I get a text message from a guy named Mason saying he was my interface leader and he was excited to meet our group. I thought to myself, “this guy has a 662 area code who could this be??” I get back on social media and realize who this Mason was that I was going to see come fall. I quickly texted my friend Kaylie, saying “you are never going to believe who my interface leader is”.

Moving on, we go through interface, I eventually join the same club he was in (not because of him) and that entire fall semester we are just acquaintances. Fast forward again to Christmas break, we talk over social media just as friends. We come back for spring semester and we’re still just friends. One night after an intramural basketball game, a group of us were just sitting around talking. Mason happened to be in that group. I was with my friend Molly Brewington so we both were like why not let’s go eat. 4 of us load up in Mason’s jeep and we go get Taco Bell. I sit up with Mason so we get the chance to talk. We keep talking over social media until one night I’m in my dorm room and Mason asked me if I wanted to go get a cup of coffee with him before he drove home so he wouldn’t fall asleep. We had a nice time driving around and talking that night. I remember going back to my friends’ dorm room the night I got back. I talked to my friends all night about the good time I had and how I think I was starting to have a crush on this guy. The next week he takes me out on our first actual date to Rockin’ Dough. It was my 20th birthday and the first birthday I wasn’t going to be with my parents, so I was kind of sad. He took me out and we had another nice night. We kept hanging out and talking which led to Mason asking me to be his girlfriend. He kept jokingly asking me and then telling me he was kidding. I was a ball of nerves for weeks. We eventually started officially dating and ever since then, Mason has led our relationship spiritually and the man I always prayed for. He has shown such grace, forgiveness, and love in our relationship that I know I wanted for a future husband. I cannot wait to marry him and be with him forever!