The growing love story of Tripp and Aiden.

We originally met in the year 2019 in my hometown of Camden, AR. I was born and raised in Camden and was a member of a church in East Camden, just across the Ouachita river. I was close friends with a young man that was a few years younger than me, but one day he caught me off guard when he came into church with a stunning young woman who immediately caught my attention. After an hour-long church service, I was able to pull my friend to the side and ask him who this young lady was he brought with him, going as far to say “is this your girlfriend?” He laughed and replied, “that is my cousin, Aiden.” That day I was able to introduce myself to the woman that would later become the love of my life.

The next two to three years after our introduction, we had a very strange relationship, to say the least. We served together as church youth leaders, became friends, and even went through a time where, aside from always remaining polite, she would not talk to me because I “annoyed her” at some points. In early January 2022, the most beautiful person I’ve ever met fortunately changed her mind and began to speak with me a bit more when we served at a church camp together. We ended up on the same recreation team and were able to have some deeper and mature conversations about our faith while we were leading younger kids. During this camp, I was also able to develop a deep relationship there with the camp ministry lead. In the weeks to follow, he and I started doing a one-on-one Bible study to deepen our understanding and love for God.

In one of these meetings, we were studying about what it means to be a Godly man and woman, and I brought the topic of Aiden up to him. I talked about many of the amazing qualities I had observed in her and mentioned to him my admiration for the Godly woman she was. After further conversation with him, he convinced me to ask Aiden on a date, and, even though I was certain there wasn’t a chance in the world she would agree, I found the courage to ask her. I was correct; however, and she shot me down fast. There was just something about Aiden’s grateful personality and grace that I knew, even if we could only be friends, I was drawn to want to get to know her better. I knew that “something” about her made me want to be a better man. It took much conversation and convincing, but she agreed to join me for dinner… “as a friend” that is. That was January 24th, 2022, and I set off to Arkadelphia, where Aiden attended college, to meet her for dinner.

That night, we had a conversation I will never forget. We talked about what the Lord had been doing in my life over the prior few months and then began to talk about what He had been doing in her life. That night, I was able to see that “something” first-hand - Aiden for who she truly is - a woman that loves the Lord more than anyone I had ever known. As I left that night, my mind was blown away by her substance, her soul, her goodness, her dreams, her goals…, and I decided I just had to get to know this amazing woman even better.

Over the next few months, our friendship grew, and then Aiden decided she wanted me to meet her parents. In our relationship, if Aiden was giving me the honor for it to continue, I had made up my mind that I was not going to take our friendship to the level of dating, until I had permission from her parents. They were supportive of us dating, and not long thereafter, I asked Aiden if she would be my girlfriend and let her know that she was special enough to me that I would be the best man to her, with the intent of asking her to marry me one day and earning her trust so that if I were ever blessed for that day to come, she would accept my proposal.

Over the next year, our relationship together grew strong, we learned that if we leaned on the Lord and each other, we could overcome anything. We learned when we have disagreements how to sit and have a discussion until we can agree. The time seems like it flew by, but it led to the days I would talk to her parents about my dream to make Aiden my wife. After again asking for, and receiving, their blessing, I soon thereafter proposed on June 17, 2023, to the woman who had become my best friend and my better half. We continue our walk together through life today and prayerfully will for many, many years to come. There are not adequate words to explain the joy, excitement, contentment, and peace that fills me to know how soon this amazing woman, who I could not live my life without, will walk down that aisle and become my wife.