We met Monday, September 2nd, 2024 (Labor Day), in Piedmont Park. Austin came prepared with a blanket, plenty of snacks, and even his own personal mosquito zapper. It took a few tries to get it to work, but we did not go home with any mosquito bites. Abigrace brought her favorite game, Bananagrams, and a few silly words later, we were laughing, joking, and getting to know each other. It wasn’t long before Elton (the most wonderful pug in this world) was brought into the conversation. We sat talking for hours as we lost track of the time. Before long, the sun was setting and we had to part ways. We walked back to our cars, hugged, and to our relief, we both said we wanted to see each other again.

At the time, Abigrace was ramping up for her first Dracula performances of the ballet season while also teaching ballet in the evenings, and Austin was in the thick of training for his first Ironman. Weekdays were packed and Saturdays were spent training, so the only day we both had free was Sunday. And so, Sunday became our day to see each other, and quickly the best day of our week. Within a month, things were official.

We both prayed for many years that we would find each other, and we established early on that we were both looking to get married and start a family. This made our relationship stronger because we had the same goals and future in mind. We became best friends over the next 15 months until Austin popped the question just before Christmas last year! We are pinching ourselves daily, and are so thankful to the Lord for bringing us together.