Mr & Mrs Blackmon Coming Soon

While TJ and I met years before, in college, we didn’t truly connect until we found one another on Instagram, where our shared love of exercise science led to TJ sliding into my DMs to ask what CrossFit gym I went to at the time. After months of occasional DMs and fire emojis sent back and forth for the PRs, WOD tips, and other gym stuff, TJ asked me to partner with him for a competition. One of my sisters, Michaela, who was originally going to partner with him, sustained an injury. She reached out to encourage me to take him up on the offer. I’m so glad she did, because our training sessions laid a foundation of friendship and trust for our relationship that would eventually lead us down the path to where we are today - walking down the aisle and into forever together❤️ plus, those of you who've ever done CrossFit, HIIT, functional fitness, etc. know that those grueling partner workout sessions can sometimes put you at your most vulnerable and uncomfortable, so it was reassuring to be able to get through all that and come out supporting and trusting one another. Although TJ would say he was working his “Operation” at the time, I think we both didn’t realize the potential of a relationship until not too long after the competition. We continued to keep in touch and found ourselves missing one another's company without the shared space of our training sessions. I was in grad school at the time, and finally, one fateful day I was feeling bold, and I suggested we link up again to get bottomless mimosas because he was mentioning them at a spot he was at in Vegas for a music festival. I invited him to come check out my gym in Greensboro since I’d already visited his gym, and we met up a few weeks later. After a successful and comical first official date, I think we both knew pretty early on that we would be spending a lot (read: our whole lives) of our time together! My favorite part of our love story is the series of dates that led up to our official decision to start our relationship and future together. I can vividly remember the feeling of trust and confidence I had in every moment I spent with TJ and I still feel that way to this day. Our love has always helped me to feel safe, seen, and celebrated and for that, I am so thankful. Thank you TJ for your kindness, patience, grace, understanding, and love. I can’t wait to continue building our lives and legacy together! I love you most!

Jalah and I knew of each other in 2015 when we both crossed our respective greek organizations, myself Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc and Jalah, Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. It was a year later we met in person at an undergrad party. She made a lasting impression on me from the evening, which led me to staying in contact. I would DM her time to time asking her about CrossFit, sending fire and thumbs up emojis to workout videos, and provide any tips I could share. This then lead to my famous plan I called the "Operation." I then asked Jalah to be my partner in a local CrossFit competition which she agreed to do with me. From there we spent a good bit of time training for the comp, which also led to us getting to know one another even more. Many of our training sessions turned into great connecting moments as to who she really was as a person, in return created stronger feelings I had for her. Jalah checked off all the boxes I would look for in a partner. However pursuing a deeper relationship wasn't in the season at the time. What seemed like an opportunity for my next stage of my "Operation" turned into a time of patience and support for Jalah. She suffered a tremendous loss, so any deep feelings I had were put on pause. My focus was on being a supportive friend, praying for her healing during the tough time she was enduring. We stayed in contact after the competition. Later that Fall we reconnected due to a CrossFit event yet again... thankfully this lead to our first date. The date was nothing short of amazing along with many funny moments I laugh at when I reflect on that time. After a few other outings and a spontaneous New Years trip to Miami, we made it official to be a couple on 1/8/2020. As a few years of dating had passed, I knew this was the woman I was meant to marry and build a legacy with. I soon began implementing my next big step in which I called "End Game" into action. Putting together our surprise engagement was quite the task. Ultimately it was a flawless victory and we were happily engaged on 6/17/22. There is no doubt in my mind, body, and spirit Jalah is my person and I look forward to being able to marry her and call myself her husband. I love you more!