My relationship with Jennay started as most do in Breckinridge County: over a meal at China King. I was out to eat with my high school sidekick and future best man to eat away our sorrows of singleness when he suggested I pursue Jennay Leslie as my date for the senior dinner dance… after seeing a post she made on Instagram that caught my eye for a few seconds too long for him not to notice my attraction. My immediate reaction was that I had no way to contact her and that I had never talked to her. But, of course, the social butterfly that is Isaak Jeffries knew her Snapchat username and gave it to me. After some procrastination due to nervousness, Isaak convinced me to set aside my fears and perform the most frightening task known to high school boys. I added her on Snapchat and sent the first text.

Jennay and I soon started texting back and forth and quickly set up a first date. In the time between those text messages and our first meeting, I stayed in shock that I was actually going on a date with Jennay Leslie. While I had never known her personally, I always had a crush on Jennay through middle and high school but thought she would never be someone I would have a chance with. I remember the first time I saw her on the first day of my seventh-grade year as I was sitting on the bleachers in the gymnasium and the boys behind me argued about who was going to “date” her in middle school. I always thought she was the prettiest girl in the school. One time I met her Papaw at my dad’s clinic. After talking for a while he told me Jennay was his granddaughter, and I was in shock that such a beautiful girl could be related to a normal ole farmer like him. We went on a date within a week of first talking, and my nervousness and intimidation soon faded away as I got to know her quickly. On our first date, we talked nonstop and had way more in common than I could have ever imagined. I immediately knew that she was special and that I must do all I could to keep her around. I was scared to death I’d lose this girl because she was way out of my league, so over those next months I was constantly thinking of ways to surprise her and make her day. Thankfully it worked!!

Over the next few years Jennay and I got to go through college together, first from long distance as she was still in high school and then with us both at WKU. Through college, we strengthened our relationship as we learned to live on our own for a while. Going into my senior year I knew it was about time to pop the question for a variety of reasons, none of which being the large amounts of engagement ring pictures Jennay was texting me and saving to her Pinterest board. Those had no effect at all. And played no role in the design of her engagement ring that I custom designed. None at all. All original ideas on my part. On a serious note, I knew that Jennay was the woman that I wanted to marry. I love her endlessly and know she feels the same way about me. My life is much better with her in it and knew it was time to secure that for the long haul. I knew it was time to take our relationship to the next level and give her the confirmation of my love and confidence in her that she deserved. After getting her the ring I thought was perfect for her hand, I planned a weekend that I knew she would be home from school to ask her to marry me. I picked out one of my favorite places and planned for one of her close friends to be there to photograph the whole event. When the day came for our planned date, Jennay decided she wanted to stay home and take a nap. In a panic, I called her mom and got her to convince her to go on the date with me. Thank God for Jennifer. Luckily all went as planned - except for the cows eating the flowers I had set up for the proposal- and we are getting married this July.

Over the past few months, we’ve been busy as she works through grad school, we purchased and remodeled a home, and I work on the family farm. We are so excited to get married and see what our future brings! My grandfather predicts 12 children…..