Growing up I spent my summers at an all-girls Christian camp in Mentone, Alabama. That is where I met Claire Quinlivan, who just so happened to be a good friend of Rylee's from his hometown. She quickly became one of my best friends and many years later would be my freshman college roommate *roll tide*. A few months before camp, Rylee asked Claire if any of her camp friends were "cute and single" (his words). She gave Rylee my number and we began texting and talking on the phone, until we met later that summer. I was instantly smitten. For the next 9 years Rylee and I dated on and off. Every time, we struggled with distance and trying to make a relationship work in different stages of life, but we both always came to the conclusion that the miles between us were too much. I truly believed that if it were part of God's plan to have us together that it would happen. (And boy did I pray that it was part of His plan) Finally, in the summer of 2017, it happened. Rylee texted me out of the blue with "Hey, would you happen to be single?" (his words, again) and as a matter of fact, I was! He then told me that he had a potential job opportunity in Atlanta, and possibly found a way to me after all this time. We chatted like we used to for a couple months and once he arrived in Atlanta and unloaded the truck, we went on our last first date and instantly knew this was it. Then one year later….

Trying to keep a secret from this woman is one of the more difficult tasks of my life. We share everything with each other but I knew that I needed to let this be a total surprise for her. The difficulty increased further when I knew I would need to have her family there and in on it. But I knew that if I could pull it off, it would all be worth it. In June, when I asked Smythe (her father) for his blessing, I told him my general plan for the proposal. It was going to be at their beach house in Hilton Head, SC. That place served as a happy retreat for Lauren and I over the years, and we would always climb the Harbour Town lighthouse when we went and just look out over the water and take it all in. So I knew the where, I just needed the when and the how. After many back alley phone calls and triple encrypted emails, I had it all set. We wake up one weekend in October to go on a typical family Hilton Head weekend with her folks. We get there and nothing is out of the ordinary. I ask Lauren to go on a dinner date with me but we need to stop by the lighthouse first, I "needed my HH moment". Well we go up, and while she's looking out over the water, I hit the knee. The most nervous I've ever been. She quickly gives me an emphatic "YES!" so I can stop sweating and after a while we head down to grab our dinner. She resists telling her folks, saying she wants to surprise them ("how cute", I'm thinking) when she gets home. On the way, she is planning all these schemes to hide it and drop it on them dramatically. When we turn the corner, her entire family is standing on the front porch of the house. Parents, both grandparents, sister, even my parents and sister made it. "Honey, I think they may know" I say. Her family turned the house into a full on beach house party with string lights, catered buffet and music. After Lauren gets over the initial shock, we march her ENTIRE BRIDAL PARTY out the front door, who all flew in for her. She was in tears the rest of the night.