Once upon a time… A man and a woman spoke for the first time at good ole Whataburger (September of 2019) after a long fun night at Guitars and Cadillacs. There was a brief conversation talking about all the fun things to do in Alaska. Apparently, Whitney was talking quite a bit; maybe even talking Hayden’s ear off! That night is still up for discussion.
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Shortly after that night, Whitney decided to have a time of singleness which lasted roughly five months. Time passes, 2020 begins, and Hayden slid into Whitney’s DMs on Instagram in a “gentlemanly fashion” to comment on her insta-story about Alaska life and the moose roaming all over. They talked about all the “must-do” adventures in Alaska, the basics about where they had grown up, family, and about growing up playing the sports they love. They texted consistently for about 3 weeks until Whitney returned to Dallas from Christmas break, January 19. A few days later after texting all day long, Whitney decided to change her normal good night texts. to....“I like texting and everything, but you’re welcome to call me. Good night!” Well...Hayden called her the next day and the next day after and the next day after that! Of course, they stayed up talking til the late hours of the night! Five months since a brief, but memorable moment at Whataburger turned into their first date! Hayden decided to road trip to Dallas for a Dallas Stars hockey game(February 7) and suggested Whitney should come! This was the start of a marathon weekend date! A hockey game, brunch, dog walking, movie watching, and a wonderful church going weekend together was a perfect way to get to know each other more. Whitney was so excited but so nervous the whole time. Rumor has it she freaked out when he left to go back to Abilene for some reason. Maybe... just maybe she knew She had met the man she would marry? Whatever it was, she knew she wanted to see him again. Not too long after that Hayden asked Whitney to be his “plus one” at a wedding. They two-stepped the night away which led to another successful marathon date weekend even though there was a mix up with the hotel rooms! At first Whitney and Hayden were going to have to share a room, but Whitney did not really go for that one. She made Hayden sleep in his brother’s room with no pillow and no blanket. Yes, it was still a fun night because Hayden also knew that the relationship was starting in a Godly manner. A few weeks later Covid-19 hit, and the country shut down which gave Whitney the opportunity to spend time in Abilene for about a month! Hayden started that month off with a bang preparing an amazing steak dinner for Whitney not to mention some really good wine, a bunch of flowers, and chocolate! The next day Hayden took Whitney on a date that ended at a lake, sitting on the tailgate of his truck with the perfect picnic. Being calm, cool and collected Hayden asked Whitney to be his girlfriend and that was an easy YES! So, it’s safe to say that they were a Covid quarantine couple! With everything shutdown in Dallas, Whitney’s Abilene friends stepped in and provided housing that whole month! Because of the that generosity, Hayden and Whitney got to spend a lot of time together just being creative, having some fun painting, playing tennis, volleyball, basketball, cooking together, watching movies, and so much more! With the world in so much uncertainty, Whitney returned home to Alaska mid April. That seemed a long time for Hayden and Whitney to just FaceTime and text each other, but like they say, “Absence makes the heart grow fonder!” This inevitably made Hayden want to visit Whitney in Alaska. She begged Hayden for 3 weeks and eventually he gave into her charm.
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The Alaska trip sealed the deal! Hayden felt an immediate connection, and it was easy to meet her amazing family. They welcomed him from the very start. The shutdown was still in full swing which allowed them to spend lots of time together. ... maybe 2020 wouldn’t be so void after all! Christmas rolled around and Hayden decided to spend the holidays in the Last Frontier. Whitney was thrilled! She had already fallen in love with Hayden but kept that to herself until he said it first! Fast forward to Christmas break and the couple and Whitney’s grandfather flew to Alaska. Before the trip Hayden told Whitney, “I’m going to ask your parents permission to marry you!” Whitney was completely filled with excitement which was hard to contain (obviously)...which meant she told her mom and sister!!! Hayden didn’t like that because he wanted it to be a surprise (this was a learning experience for Whitney). To start the trip off, they flew to LAX. On the way to Los Angeles, Whitney got in trouble for her nose not being covered. And so began a whirlwind event. This incident got Whitney, her Grandpa, and Hayden kicked off the flight to Alaska. The three of them had to stay the night in California. Whitney’s mother quickly secured a hotel room. She got it all done within the time it took them to get their bags and an Uber. It was a rough start to the trip, but made it even better because they had to overcome a little adversity, which is always a good thing. It was a terrific time celebrating Christmas, having the Williams’ annual Christmas party, and buying and wrapping presents together. All the while, Whitney was wondering (and being nosy) if Hayden had asked permission for marriage. The decision was made to change his flight to December 26th night departure which gave Hayden more time to ask the big question (haha). The right time presented itself Christmas night. Whitney only had a feeling this was going on but didn't know for sure until Hayden, her mom, and her dad came back from a little drive. Hayden came back into the living room where Whitney was and held her hand in his. Whitney said, “Your hands are sweaty!” Only a few seconds later he stood up to say, “I have an announcement! (He stood up and made Whitney stand up too!) Whitney, I’ve asked your parents permission to marry you, and they both said no (they laughed because he was joking thank goodness!) Hayden said, “I’ve never told a girl ‘I love’ before. I wanted to tell your dad first, but I love you!” Whitney teared up a bit. Lots of hugging and kissing, and then Whitney let out a big, “I loved you a long time ago!”




The rest is history because the proposal was an easy YES!
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