Her side of the story: Like all great modern love stories, ours began with a simple wave—a digital one, that is. I sent the safe "Hi!" message on a dating app during one of my busiest weeks of the year (hello, Vacation Bible School!). Between crafts, songs, and keeping up with a swarm of energetic kids, I could only muster one message a day. But somehow, that was enough to keep him interested.

Our first date was at Ma & Pa’s Tex-Mex BBQ, where we settled the age-old debate: burritos or tacos? (Spoiler: tacos obviously win). We made slime (because why not?), dared each other to eat it (questionable life choices), and topped it off with ice cream. Six hours later, I realized I was very late to the Bible study I was supposed to lead… but it was worth it. That same evening, as he drove to visit family, I called him just to keep the conversation going. That’s when I knew—something special was happening.

From the beginning, he made the first moves (and honestly, that still tracks). One of our earliest adventures had us road-tripping for six hours, bouncing from a friend’s place to his parents' house, and finally back home—all while talking about everything. Somewhere along the way, deep conversations in the car became our thing. Whether it’s a five-minute drive or a full-on road trip, we somehow always end up solving life’s mysteries between stoplights and gas station snack runs.

A year into dating, we finally took a long-awaited trip to Georgia to visit my brother and his family. And somewhere between the early morning runs, coffee shop adventures, dance parties with my niece, political debates with my brother, and my niece’s very first pillow fight (which he, of course, initiated), it hit me—this was the man I wanted to marry. His steadiness, humility, humor, and care have drawn me in continuously, and they still do every single day.

And on February 8, 2025, he made it official. Secretly scheming with our friends Diana & Justin and Josh & Angel, he planned the perfect proposal. Diana invited me to grab donuts at Broad Street Dough Co., one of our favorite specialty donut shops near the beach—an easy yes, obviously. Later that week, Carson oh-so-casually asked about my weekend plans (fake innocence included) and got himself, Josh, and Angel invited to join our donut adventure.

After devouring some delicious donuts, we made our way to Sea Girt Beach, NJ. As we walked along the shore, Angel expertly distracted me while Carson wrote something in the sand. Then, he turned to me and asked, “What’s in the sand?”

I looked down to see "Will you marry me?" written with hearts around it. As I turned back, there he was—down on one knee. I can’t even remember everything he said because I was completely overwhelmed with emotion, but I do remember watching as a wave rolled up and almost reached him. And, of course, I said YES!

And now, here we are—on the greatest adventure yet. ❤️

Registry