Our love story is one we will always cherish. At the beginning of 2024, Gracie moved to Clarksville to student teach at Scranton. She lived with her Aunt Anne, Uncle Josh, and cousin Austin while she finished up her last semester of college. Meanwhile, Dillon was mid-basketball season, coaching junior high boys' basketball at Clarksville. Gracie started going to watch Austin play basketball, and Coach Bean caught her attention. What she didn't know was that she caught Dillon's attention as well. Dillon cornered Anne during one of the games to ask about the girl who had been coming to watch Austin play.

Long story short, Dillon friended Gracie on Facebook, then messaged her asking her out a few days later. The first night they hung out, they talked for hours about their future and the plans that they had. They both knew from that moment they were going to get married!

Despite the multiple times we sat and talked at the gym, we consider our first date when we went hiking. Dillon packed a picnic, and we drove up to Pedestal Rock Trail. We took selfies at each overlook or stop we made. Dillon brought his GoPro, and when we sat down for lunch, we made a video discussing the beginning of our relationship. We will always look back on that video and be reminded of how special our love is!

It became "official" on March 15th, even though Dillon and Gracie said "I love you" after two weeks of meeting each other! We celebrated by going to Umami's in Russellville. Umami's is still in the rotation for date night! Fast forward to our 1 year dating anniversary, we celebrated at the Clarksville basketball banquet- but we wouldn't have it any other way!

A whole book could be written about the first 6 months of our relationship. We encountered so many life changes together: college graduation, interviewing for jobs, moving, family loss, starting a job, and so much more, but we will spare you the details. All that we knew is that we had each other, and that was enough.

In June of 2024, we took a trip to visit Dillon's mom and stepdad in Saint Croix. It was one of the best weeks we have ever had! We ate SO much good food (don't ask Gracie about Ama unless you want to hear about the crab soufflé dip), we snorkeled and took a seaplane to Saint Thomas. It was a blast and definitely a much-needed trip for both of us!

Fast forward to December 23, 2024. Dillon and Gracie had made it very clear to each other that they would get married. Long story short, Dillon proposed in the gazebo at the park after telling Gracie they were taking family photos. After we had taken some photos, Dillon planned an engagement party with their closest family and friends. We were overwhelmed with the love that surrounded them. We have so much to be thankful for!

We have felt so much love during this season of life from each other, friends, and family. Being engaged has shown us how blessed we are! We are so excited to share our wedding day with you all to celebrate the love we have!