Nathan and I first met at as concert for Warren Zeiders, put on by the Cotton Eyed Joe. A friend had invited me, and my friend's brother had invited Nathan. We talked some that night, but would not reconnect until 7 months later.

Peep me on the right of Nathan here. I had no idea then what our future together would look like.

HAPPY 21ST EMILY!!! I hosted a birthday party and a friend, Faith, and her boyfriend, Joe, invited Nathan to the party (Faith & Joe had been trying to get us to hang out alllllll summer). Nathan originally turned down the birthday invite due to a family matter and then, at the last minute, decided to come! Nathan and I talked the entire night, and if you ask him, he "knew I was the one," this very night.

This was just 2 weeks later, and Nathan and I were pretty much inseparable! We wanted every free moment we had to be with each other. This night, he cooked us dinner and we watched a classic, The Notebook. We were absolutely smitten at this point!

This was the day we celebrated Thanksgiving with my family :) This was the first time Nathan spent time with my family for a long period of time, and they loved him! My dad and him bonded so quickly, and my mom started asking me when I was going to marry him directly after this day! It meant so much to me that my family could see how special our love was!

This was our "from scratch" gingerbread house that we crafted with our friends, Faith and Joe (the one's who set us up). We may opt for a kit next year ;)

MERRY CHRISTMAS! I asked Nathan to take some cute couple Christmas photos with me in front of the tiny tree I'd bought for his house. He happily agreed and this one is one of my favorites from our amateur shoot. I was beginning to imagine my future with Nathan so vividly at this point!

Fireman's Ball! This was my favorite photo from an event my dad had invited myself and Nathan to. I invited my group of friends and we had so much fun! We danced all night and laughed with everyone the entire time!

Another Fireman's Ball favorite! We were dancing to Tennessee Whiskey. Life felt so sweet in this moment!

This photo is from a day I'll never forget. This day, my senior portrait photographer cancelled on me for the 2nd time, except this time, I was fully ready and on site waiting to begin. Nathan, like the true hero he is, rushed to snag a friend's camera and walked around campus with me for 2 hours taking all the photos I could want + more. Nathan shows up and shows out for the people he loves, and I'm so lucky to be loved by him!

Congratulations Abby and Kelsey!!! This was the wedding day for 2 of our close friends, Abby and Kelsey! Nathan had the honor of being a groomsman, and it was so sweet to watch him walk down the aisle and imagine our own wedding someday. It was around this time that Nathan and I started seriously talking about engagement!

VACAY WHOOP WHOOP! For my Christmas present, Nathan planned a whole trip to Colorado for us! We began in Denver, traveled to Keystone to ski, and then ended the trip back near Denver. This trip was SO much fun! It was my first experience flying + being in an airport setting and Nathan kept me calm and aware the entire time. I came home from the trip feeling even more certain he was the one :)

This night...we try to forget lol. Nathan and I, as well as some friends, decided to sit down and paint one another. Nathan and I clearly are not skilled painters, as Nathan ended up turning Hispanic and I ended up looking like...well, that

Senior Portraits, part 2! My dear friend (shoutout Ethel) offered to snap some more senior photos for me, as I'd recently received my cap and gown. I happily agreed, and Nathan tagged along. Ethel ended up taking some couple ones of us, and this is one of my favorites! Having Nathan by my side during my final year of college was such a support in my life. He helped ground me when the stress of "after college" set in, and I was so thankful for that!

Meet Daisy Mae! Nathan and I had talked about getting a dog for many months prior to this, and once graduation came and went, we decided to pull the trigger. We picked Daisy up the day after grad and took her home, and Nathan and I both can confidently say it's one of the best decisions we've made to date. We love our girl!

The caption says it all! Nathan decided to help me conquer my fear of boats, and it started with him buying this one. I've since reduced my fear of boats and open water significantly, so if anyone is looking to buy a gently used boat, I know a guy ;)

Blue Ridge Getaway! Nathan and I decided to do a quick weekend getaway to spend some time together, and Blue Ridge was the perfect place. We spent the weekend exploring the town, trying the best food, and went on an orchard tour, which is where this picture came from. I had a pretty good feeling we would be getting engaged soon, so I took this trip as my chance to soak in our last moments as "boyfriend and girlfriend."

I SAID YES! Nathan and I were on a beach trip with his family, and what I thought was a "family photo shoot" turned into our engagement shoot. It was the most perfect surprise, and I am OVER THE MOON to be Nathan's fiancee! Our story is far from over, in fact, it's just beginning! NOW LET'S GET MARRIED!!!