Sam grew up surrounded by nature on Monte Sano Mountain in Huntsville, Alabama. He was raised in a family that prioritized faith, and he stayed involved through high school. The youngest of three boys, he was always trying a new sport or hobby. Eventually, he found a love for tennis, even winning a state championship in high school.

Ellie grew up in the small town of Dallas, Georgia. The oldest of three, she spent most of her time either singing or listening to music, taking after her mom. Ellie loved all things art, random projects and performing; she was always involved in chorus and theater, and loved being a part of the worship team throughout middle and high school.

It all started at the end of Freshman year at UAB; Sam was studying Biomedical Engineering and Ellie, Biomedical Sciences, when we met at a friend’s birthday dinner. One first date turned into study dates, hikes around Birmingham, and long conversations about life, goals, and faith.

We began to fall in love the following summer, despite being in different states. In between working with FCA and Chick-fil-A, we got to know each other through the famous list of “900 questions” over Facetime calls, and met up when we could to explore each other’s home towns.

Faith has always been a big part of our lives, and together we’ve spent a lot of time involved in our church, Redeemer, and its college ministry. Sam is on the prayer team and Ellie is on the worship team. We have also worked together at an outpatient surgery center, both dreaming of going into the healthcare field.

Sam had always felt called to be a doctor, and Ellie found a passion for the PA profession through college. Together we worked hard and supported each other through the trenches of applications, MCAT studying and interviews. Thankfully, our hard work paid off! Sam will be starting medical school at UAB and Ellie, PA school at Samford later this year.

Sam proposed this past June, and since then it’s been a whirlwind of wedding planning and getting ready to move onto the next chapter of our lives: graduation, marriage and grad school. We couldn’t imagine doing it alongside anyone else, and are incredibly thankful for the amazing friends, families and mentors who have gotten us to where we are today!