In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. We can probably skip a lot of history beyond Genesis 1:1 and fast forward to 2022. Peyton and Jade were both volunteering with the Cascade Hills Middle School youth ministry (thanks Trey Douglas for accidentally bringing us together). One lesser known fact is that both had decided that they were through with dating unless God dropped the perfect person into their life. And God took care of it. They met and talked, cultivating a friendship of sorts. Jade was also involved heavily in the college/young adult ministry, and Peyton was less involved in other ways. In August 2022, the college ministry decided to put on a dance as a way to have "prom" for those who had their senior prom shut down by covid a couple years prior.

Peyton decided that he was going to the prom because he had never been to a formal dance and decided to try it out for the first time. Jade went with a group of friends. Peyton actually wanted to ask Jade to the dance because he was interested in her, but an off-handed comment caused him to not. He got there, and Jade was there in a stunning green gown. Everything else in the room didn't matter; he was love-struck. He knew this was the person God had placed in his life at this moment. But walking up to a girl in a group of her friends is a Herculean task for a guy who is relatively new to the whole ministry. Peyton took the coward's way out and sent Jade a message on Instagram much later into the night after he left. And somehow, Jade didn't think it was creepy.

Peyton "strategically" (bro was scared out of his mind) waited a week to send Jade another message, and this helped him slowly start talking to her more and attempt to flirt since he knew he was interested. Ultimately, Peyton and Jade spent some long nights talking outside the church, to the point people were concerned for Jade's safety. After some swift reality checks from her friend Jenna, Jade realized she was also interested in Peyton. So on September 20, 2022, Peyton finally worked up the courage to ask Jade to be his girlfriend, and luckily for him, she said yes.

Some spectacular times were had in the dating stage, like going to see Top Gun: Maverick, going to the Rock Garden in Calhoun, GA, and many nights in watching a movie or a show. Ice creams were eaten, new meals were discovered (including a new favorite of honey bbq chicken and mac & cheese), and memories were made. Many, many silly Snapchats were sent. Many more photos were taken. Many episodes of shows were watched.

Through the good, the bad, and the ugly, we stuck together and worked it out. We learned each other's quirks and how each other worked. We were committed to loving each other more each day and working as a team to build each other up and help each other succeed. We laughed, we cried, and we supported each other. We both knew that we wanted to do life with the other person. So, on a fitting day for both of them, April 4, 2024, Peyton chose to propose to Jade very near to the place he asked her to be his girlfriend - Cascade Hills Church. He asked surrounded by close family and close friends to celebrate this occasion.

April 4 was significant for both because funny 4/04 (404 error), and the phase of the moon on April 4, 2024 was the same phase as September 20, 2022.

We are here now. Find out that story later.

We are not here yet. Turn around and go back