We're Getting Married!!!

After a brief hiatus from dating, Ryan's friend convinced him to download the dating app called Hinge. It was out of his comfort zone, but with his upcoming move to Dallas being imminent, he decided to stick with it as a way of helping him adjust to a new and expansive city. On Abigail's birthday, her sisters had a similar idea and had her download Hinge. After asking for some advice on her profile and swiping giddily with her sisters, she decided it would be a fun adventure to keep the app. Later that summer, Ryan came across Abigail's profile. Her mutual love for rock climbing and A&M intrigued him, and he decided to message her. His opening line, "You rock climb?" sparked a fun conversation. After a few weeks of messaging back and forth, Ryan asked Abigail on a date. On August 5th 2022, Ryan and Abigail finally met in person. After their first date, Ryan remembers thinking Abigail was beautiful, loved hearing about her passion for her job, and appreciated that they had similar interests. Abigail liked how sweet Ryan was, and his love of travel left her wanting more. After their third date, Ryan got to see the humorous side of Abigail and knew he wanted her to be his girlfriend. On their fifth date, Abigail got to see the romantic side of Ryan and knew she wanted him to be her boyfriend. On September 18th, they had the “define-the-relationship talk" and made it official!!!! After a few months of dating, meeting each others’ families, and getting to know each other more, things began to feel different. Abigail and Ryan found themselves asking their friends and family about love and trying to figure out what that feeling truly meant to them. On November 11th, they could not hold it in any longer. Abigail looked at Ryan and coyly mumbled, "Hey Ryan… hi!" chickening out a bit. But merely a minute later, she looked at him again—more steadfast this time—and said, "Hey Ryan, I love you." And Ryan assuredly said it back.

Since then, Ryan and Abigail have gone on lots of fun adventures together. From dates around the city, to family vacations, to many evening walks. Abigail got to learn more about how caring, thoughtful, and selfless Ryan is. Likewise, Ryan got to see more of Abigail's joyful nature, humor, and caring attitude. Ryan knew that he wanted to marry Abigail after seeing the depth of her love for her family, her effortless ability to make each moment in life more fun, and her devoted passion for always helping others. So, the two of them eventually took a trip down to San Antonio to see Abigail's dad. Although they tried to make the trip seem casual, Abigail's dad was not surprised by what came next. Ryan confessed to her dad privately that he wanted to marry her, and—with his blessing—the two of them began to design a ring for Abigail. Abigail knew she wanted to marry Ryan after seeing how great of a man he is. She was enamored with how much he cares about others, how willing he is to serve, how much he lifts her up, and how fun he is to be around. Around Thanksgiving time, Abigail nosily started to inquire more about when Ryan was going to propose, but Ryan already had a plan in the works. On December 9th, after a few fancy dates to “throw her off the scent," Ryan had an even more special day planned. They took a nice romantic walk at Arbor Hills, ate lunch, and drank coffee at one of their favorite spots. Then, Ryan took Abigail to the park where they had shared some of their favorite memories together. In the distance, Abigail saw her favorite flowers, some blankets, and beloved photos of them. She began to cry, knowing this was the moment!! Ryan asked Abigail to marry her, and she responded with a resounding YES!!!! …From reluctantly downloading a dating app to spending forever together!!! Abigail and Ryan are so excited to get married and continue to grow their life together!!