Payton and I met in May of 2020.

COVID was in full swing and I was in search of an apartment.

My cousin, Christy, recommended a place called "Wimbledon Court." One of her co-workers, Amy, lived there and loved it.

I decided to check it out, so I texted the number I was given (Payton's #) and asked if they had any available units.

They did. :)

If you ever talk to my mom about our story, she loves to share this specific moment -

Payton had just given us a tour of the apartment. My mom and I were getting back into the car and she says,

"If he ever asks you out on a date, you would say 'yes,' right?"

I immediately put up 5 fingers, motioning for her to stop what she was saying. I said,

"Don't even go there."

I had just gone through a bad break up and had sworn off dating for 2 years. I was not interested in making new friends.

There were a few seconds of silence. She then proceeds to say,

"But you'd say yes, right?"

I didn't know it then, but God's plan was bigger than I could have ever imagined.

As much as I didn't want to admit that my mom was right; after I moved in, I found myself constantly looking out of my window, hoping to catch a glimpse of him.

I had developed a major crush on the property manager.

I remember asking my cousin Christy if my toilet running longer than usual was a valid reason to text him. That's how bad a wanted to talk to him.

The next day, as I was organzing my new closet, I looked up and saw that the ceiling was wet. Any normal person would see this as a major inconvenience, but I felt like I had just won the lottery.

I finally had a reason to text him.

He would come over in the evenings to fix my ceiling and it would be the highlight of my day.

One day, he asked me if I wanted to learn how to shoot. I said yes!

And thanks to some good - n- wholesome peer pressure from my friend, Shelby - I asked if him wanted to get dinner afterwards.

As cliche as it sounds... the rest is history.

Registry