It all started a few weeks before our senior prom! Two kids looking for a date and nothing serious since college was right around the corner; not to mention the aspect of going to two completely different colleges in two different states- dating was out of the picture… But after spending almost every single day with one another (before and after prom) a spark was lit, and we were in deeper waters than we anticipated. Right after graduation, the test of long distance became our deciding factor to continue our journey together as a couple when Nathan was heading to camp as a counselor. Well, we have learned that the best things happen when you least expect it! We spent so much time together before Nathan went to camp that while he was away, it became very clear we had fallen for each other. When he got back, we knew we had to have a serious sit-down conversation about what it would mean for us to commit to whatever this long-distance life would be like. We knew that it was going to be an all or nothing relationship that called for sacrifices and intentionality, and that summer (plus some hard-fought years of college) have fostered a love that continues to grow stronger. And now, we are finally getting married!

Well, we've been long distance for literally all of college (yes, 4 years…) so spending time with each other in person must be super planned. This means that if I wanted to propose and keep it a surprise, I had to be quite sneaky. The summer before proposing I worked full time and saved all that I could to buy the ring. She pretty much knew that I was working to save up for it, but she didn't know exactly when I was going to buy it. We generally have to be transparent about plans and such because, like I said, we've been long distance; so clear communication is what has held us together. I told her that I was planning on proposing sometime between January-April (assuming that would give me enough leeway to keep it a surprise while also getting all the details lined up). But man, as soon as I bought that ring it made me think, “what the heck am I doing with this thing just sitting in my dresser hiding under some beanies? This should be on her hand!” So, I very quickly started messaging family on both sides, went and scoped out a spot where I wanted to propose with Heath, and bought/borrowed some decorations-- doing things that I had no idea what to do and totally winging it. But once Christmas break hit, she came up to Conway for about a week. I managed to convince her we should get dressed up, go try out a new coffee shop, do a little shopping, hang for a bit, and go get dinner. Little did she know that as soon as we left that coffee shop, I totally ditched the "plan" and started heading to Mt. Nebo (a place we hiked the year before and loved). Now, Heath had driven out to Nebo that morning with all the decorations and knew the spot to set everything up. So, when we would drive up and immediately be at the spot. Basically, we left that coffee shop, and I straight up put Mt Nebo into maps which led to an immediate “wait, where are we going?” from Trisella... I just gave a little smirk and said "Mt. Nebo". She had about 3 seconds of confusion, before realizing what was going on and then immediately started bawling her eyes out. Good news is that she got most of that out before arriving at the proposal spot, so the pictures turned out great! We basically drove straight up to the spot where Heath had setup everything, and all I had to do was walk her down the little path lined with candles until we were in the proposal spot. To which I had thought like "oh shoot now's the time I get on my knee, this is crazy it's actually happening right now!" And during this time, her family and best friend Abbie were able to drive from Louisiana and make it in time for the engagement party in Conway, which was a total surprise to her, and I got super lucky because although it was stressful at times trying to figure it all out, everything ended up working out perfectly!