We're getting married!

One day I got a follow on Instagram from Tanner. I did not know who he was nor could I really tell what he looked like because he had about 3 posts and 2 of them were extremely old, 1 of them not even of him. So I had 2 posts, and the newest post was of baseball action shots... not an ideal situation. One thing I did notice was that Emilee (my newly named little in my college org) followed him. I sent a screenshot asked who it was she just told me a friend from high school. Fast-forward a week and Em celebrates my birthday with me and posts about it... I get a text from Emilee explaining she "has a friend for me". She is SELLING Tanner to me- he's tall, likes sports, is a baseball player, etc. I then learn he's 5.5 hours away... I immediately shut it down and say no way. Emilee persists I should at least snapchat him for a little bit, so I say fine- give him my snapchat. I have the infamous picture of the first snapchat I received because he sent it to Em to ask if it was good enough to send, haha! Quickly we moved from snapchat to texting and then to facetiming. All this time I am trying convincing myself that he is not that cute and it's never going to workout just because we were 5.5 hours apart and Tanner was on a strict athlete schedule. After talking to a couple friends they convinced me to meet him in person and then decide. The day finally came and ironically enough Em's parents were in town and because of Tanner's relationship with the Engelhardt family he met them for dinner, and Em and I joined after our football game. So I met Tanner and Em's parents for the first time all together- I WAS NERVOUS! So much so, I drove Tanner around campus in the dark to give him a tour... you literally couldn't see a thing, but I guess I didn't scare him away! We ended up going on a double date to bowl with Madi (my roommate) and Dylan. Tanner left the next morning and made the 5.5 hour drive back less than 24 hours after he'd made the initial drive down- I knew after that visit I was in a lot of trouble. Before I knew it we were talking constantly and he's all I could think about- cupid got me good!! After 3 times of meeting in person, Tanner invited me to come to DFW during the winter break to meet his parents. During that visit on new years day at 2am in the I-HOP parking lot he'd ask me to officially be his girlfriend, and the rest is history!!! We dated 2.5 years at 5.5 hours apart. With me working to support myself and Tanner playing baseball, it was often times hard to find the time to make those trips, so facetime was our best friend. We survived it and came out with 2 college degrees, then a bomb was dropped on us... Tan had to move to Pittsburgh. It was surreal we were adults and had big decisions to make. I couldn't fathom another 6+ months of long distance, let alone with extreme distance, so I went with. It was such a great experience and definitely was a huge jump for our relationship. From 5.5 hours apart to living together 17 hours from everyone and everything we've ever known. Adulting hit us like a ton of bricks, but we took everything with a grain of salt and had a wonderful experience and so many memories from that year in PA. But coming back to Texas and being closer to those we love was amazing. Adding a furry family member was also something we had been looking forward to, and Tex has been the perfect addition. We love him so much. Fast-forward to November 27, 2022 and Tan popped the question- that's why you are here! Then fast-forward a bit more- we now are homeowners! God is so good, and this journey with Tanner has been nothing short of amazing. I can't wait for a lifetime. -XOXO Future Mrs. Rhodes

I first discovered LaDawn through my friend Emilee's Instagram page and from the moment I saw her, I knew I wanted to get to know her. Long story short after some persuasion on Emilee's side, I was able to get her Snapchat. One (arguably embarrassing) Snapchat later and I was talking back and forth with her. She was adorable, funny, intelligent, clever, and wickedly competitive. I just knew I wanted to learn more about her. Over the coming weeks we would keep talking, from Snapchat to text to late night FaceTime's. The distance made things hard, but I couldn't get over her. I decided to make a little over a day trip down to San Marcos to see her, and from then on I was hooked. Between my busy baseball schedule, the 5.5 hours between us, and her busy work life, it was difficult for us to be together. Yet 9/10 times I took the mound, she was in the stands. From day one she was always my biggest fan. She was always there to pick me up after a bad game, and the first one to celebrate with me on my good ones. I cannot begin to express enough how much she has supported me throughout our time together. Through my Covid season, my career ending injury, and countless other trials, she always stood by my side and was the first one to pick my head up and keep me moving forward. Without her I would not be the man I am today, nor have the success that I have had. I finally asked her to be my girlfriend in an IHOP parking lot, and that was the second best decision I have ever made. After 2.5 years of long distance, our finish line was finally coming to an end. Until, life through another curveball at us. My work had told me that I was moving up to Pittsburgh for my job. That left us with a choice, we either continue with long-distance, or we move together across the country away from everything we know. She decided to come with me and I am forever grateful for that decision. Our relationship grew stronger and we got to create new and lasting memories exploring new parts of the country together. She kept me sane during all of the adulting that we had to go through, and she was always there to pick me up when I fell. We were blessed that my job moved us back down to Texas closer to all of our friends and family, but far stronger in our relationship with each other. I got offered a permanent position at my job and LaDawn has been flourishing at her work. God blessed us with the ability to raise the cutest puppy and buy our first home together. We are learning more about each other every day and we can't wait to see where life will take us. I know life will knock me down more times than I can count, but I can fearlessly trudge forward knowing that when I do fall, she will be the first one there to help me get back up and keep going.