Our story begins at the Atlanta Passion Conference January, 2022. We were introduced by groomsman Jarek Wells and hit it off right from the start. We exchanged phone numbers, and got to know each other as I drove back to my college dorm in Odessa, TX. This phone call oddly enough primarily consisted of us discussing long-distance running, marathons, and fitness.

Over the next few weeks, we Facetimed multiple nights a week while getting to know each other's interests, passions and priorities. For each of us, the highest priority was growing in our own relationship with the Lord, so the idea of a “relationship” was on the back burner. However, our feelings for each other began to grow in a deeper kind of way. The difficulty was that Rainey was a full-time student at Texas Tech University while I was halfway through my sophomore spring season at Odessa College. On top of the two-hour separation at school, our hometowns were more than seven hours apart, so the idea of committing to a relationship seemed like quite the endeavor.

After Rainey spent a weekend in Odessa with my parents, our confidence surrounding our future relationship grew much stronger. My family loved her! Two weeks later I took a trip to Lubbock to meet her family, and it was that weekend that I knew God was leading us together and we officially began dating.

That summer, our relationship grew deeper as we experienced our first months of long distance filled with hundreds of Facetime calls. Over the next two years there were many “cross-Texas” road trips and “let's get the most out of everything" moments, but it was all worth it. Both of us took advantage of every opportunity we had while having amazing college careers in baseball and finance/sorority life.

During these two years we came to know that God had made us for each other. There was absolutely no doubt that we were committed to each other and to our relationship under Christ.

Following graduation in Spring of ‘24, I moved to Lubbock and moved into Rainey’s old bedroom at her childhood home, while she continued renting a place down the street. The move away from family in Houston has not been easy, but I’m confident that God has ordained each step of this journey. Shortly after moving to Lubbock, I proposed in August at Garden of the Gods in Colorado Springs, with future bridesmaids and Rainey’s mom in attendance.

Excitement has been building and we can’t wait to see you in Round Rock this June!

We love you!