Our story begins eight years ago in Murfreesboro, TN. Though we both attended the same high school, neither the football player with long hair nor the Catholic school girl with a birthmark could have imagined how their story would unfold. In March of 2016, I attended UT, while Carson attended MTSU. I came home for the weekend to visit my family and friends and ran into Carson at a party. It is still debated who made the first move (it was him), but we do agree that the evening was spent talking, laughing, and having the best time. I soon returned to Knoxville to finish my freshman year, thinking about the boy back home. We texted back and forth for months and made plans to meet for a drink at Sonic as soon as I came home for the summer.

During the summer of 2016, we were often seen together hanging out with friends, going on dates, or just spending time at home. That summer, we both admitted to falling in love with each other, and finally, on August 5, 2016, the night before I returned to Knoxville, we became official. The time apart did not last long, as Carson decided to transfer to UT that spring. I still remember the giddiness I felt running into him on Cumberland as we walked to class. I had never been so thankful to live in the same city as someone. Over the next several years, there were many belly laughs, dancing anywhere and everywhere (my favorite was a gazebo he found in Knoxville), trips to the beach, a trip to DC, a Manchester United soccer game, many UT football games cheering on our Vols, nights out on the town, and nights in playing Euchre, Skip-Bo, or Phase 10.

Fast forward to September 15, 2023. I was back in Murfreesboro teaching while Carson finished law school at UT. Carson had made plans to come home for what I believed to be a weekend lake trip with his high school friends. Little did I know it would be so much better! I rushed home from work to get ready to meet his friends for dinner on the lake. I always make us late, so I tried my best to hurry. On the way to the lake, Carson said we needed to stop to pick up his friends. Instead, we pulled up to a little oasis in the woods. He pretended he was looking for his friends even though I had already seen the most stunning set-up in the woods. Finally, he took my hand and walked me into the woods, where he dropped to one knee and said, "Nicole Marie Dyke, you are my best friend, my girlfriend, now will you be my wife?" It was the easiest and most joyful yes I have ever said! We had the most memorable weekend together, living in the moment of our engagement, just the two of us. It was truly a dream! Now, we are ready to enter into marriage with all our loved ones by our side. October 26, 2024, cannot come soon enough!