In December 2021, my best friend, Corey Caudill, mentioned a girl named Nicole he was friends with. Intrigued, I followed her on Instagram, waiting for the perfect opportunity to connect. That chance arrived when Nicole posted a picture with some friends, including Corey, on her story. I used it as the perfect icebreaker to introduce myself, and it worked (haha). We hit it off instantly and spent hours texting before finally meeting for our first date.

However, believe it or not, there wasn't a second date for almost 10 months! I’ll admit, I wasn’t the best first-date companion, and it didn’t really click for us initially.

Over the summer, we texted here and there and kept in touch, but nothing serious developed. I had a bit of a crush on Nicole, but it took some time for her to warm up to the idea ;)

Everything changed in September 2022 when Corey, Nicole, Peyton (another close friend), and I went to Florida for the UK vs. UF football game. During that trip, Nicole and I got to know each other better and shared some unforgettable moments.

After the trip, we started talking more frequently. I loved our conversations—they were full of laughter and lighthearted fun. I even pretended to be an expert on her homework just to keep the chats going! In October 2022, the Florida group hung again for a day. At that point, I was talking to Nicole a lot more and really wanted some alone time with her that day, but I was nervous and wasn’t sure if she was interested. As the day was winding down, Corey suddenly said, "Well, I think you two have something to talk about," and left us alone. While it was an awkward setup, it worked perfectly!

From then on, we started going on dates—in Lexington and Northern Kentucky—and by December 6, after her work Christmas party (complete with a free OneRepublic concert, which totally sealed the deal for me), I asked her to be my girlfriend!

What’s always drawn me to Nicole is her thoughtfulness, wit, and beauty. We have so much fun together! She’s so easy to please; the little things—like grabbing a Coke from Sonic or sharing a pizookie at BJ’s—brighten her day. She also goes above and beyond for me, like when she let me drag her across the country for various baseball games. One time, when our flight got delayed, we even ended up sleeping on benches under bright lights in the Denver airport.

In July 2024, I bought the engagement ring. With the help of countless friends and family to pull off the surprise, I proposed to Nicole on September 13, 2024—and she said yes!

Registry

Please know that your presence at our wedding is the most precious gift of all. While your generous gesture is appreciated beyond words, there is no pressure whatsoever to purchase a gift.