How We Met

Reader, our story begins when two young people moved away from home to pursue collegiate education. In the Fall of 2015, Kristin moved into her dorm determined to put education over everything – especially boys. Colton was hanging out with some friends who just so happened to live with Kristin, and that’s where they met. It was within the first two weeks of the semester starting. He recounts first seeing her at around 8pm, wearing her pajamas (a ratty, navy blue New England Patriots shirt, and a pair of gaudy purple and gold Louisiana State University pajama pants). From then on, she really didn’t enjoy being around him—probably because this strange, obnoxious person had just come in whilst she was trying to go to sleep (not much has changed in that regard). From then on, they became fast friends. While Colton very much fell for her quite quickly, for Kristin—that was a different story. She was not so sure about him. One night, while she was preparing for a Spanish final, he asked her what kind of coffee she would like from Starbucks. Because she didn’t respond quickly enough, he brought her three different cups of coffee. From that point on, she was smitten—and he had found the way to her heart. On February 26, 2016, Kristin, Colton, and some friends drove up to the top of Lookout Mountain, Georgia, where he dragged her off to the middle of a Civil War Memorial park and asked her to be his girlfriend. She said yes. (While her roommate was snickering in the bushes just waiting for it to happen). From that point, the couple were ‘going steady’ as the kids say these days for quite some time. They endured the trials and tribulations of university together, although Colton graduated a year earlier than Kristin, he stayed around Chattanooga for a while taking a gap year working and studying for the LSAT. When Kristin graduated college, she secured her dream job teaching. (That is—to say, she dreamed of teaching, but not necessarily the grade she was assigned). Colton obtained a decent enough score to get in to law school, where he moved up to Knoxville to further his education and—of course—be closer to Kristin.

At this point, Kristin + Colton had been together for about three years. It was Colton’s plan to propose one day, but he wanted to ensure that it was the right move for both of them. Being broke students for so long did quite the damage to the bank account. At the end of his Law School career, he knew it was time to make the move.

Our Engagement

When he was nearing the close of his Law School endeavor, Kristin was just about tired of waiting. She hatched a most extraordinary plan. She would make him propose, even if he didn’t know she had made it happen. As a gift for graduation, she had saved for three long years to allow the couple to go on a trip. This is not your standard road trip. No, she went above and beyond. She booked a pair of international flights, a couple cruise tickets, and a few once-in-a-lifetime experiences. Their flight left Nashville International Airport and through another connecting flight, they ended up in Athens, Greece. Kristin had always wanted to see Greece. But even more than that, her incredibly nerdy boyfriend loved history—probably way more than your average person should love history. Their flight landed and they took a cab into the city of Athens, and for two days, they experienced one of the most ancient cities in the world—in real time. Oh, and I forgot to point out—three months prior to their trip, Kristin broke her leg. So this whole time, she’s in her boot, freshly walking for three months on the most uncomfortable cobblestone streets you could imagine. But, she was going to get that ring one way or another. After their two days in Athens, they boarded a ship and their cruise was off. They first visited the island of Mykonos, then Crete, and then Zakynthos. It’s important to note here that Kristin didn’t know that Colton actually had an engagement ring, and it was in his possession for about two years prior to the trip—he just wanted to find the perfect time to use it. He had actually ‘smuggled’ an engagement ring in his carry-on and had been keeping it hidden for about six days already. (For legal reasons, the use of the term “smuggle” is colloquial and is not a violation of Title 8 of the United States Code, Section 1324(a), or any other like section thereof). Each time they had gotten off the ship, he brought the ring so he could find the perfect spot. In Mykonos, the couple ferried over to an ancient island filled with ruins. But, since Kristin is not as much of a history nerd as he, he knew this wasn’t the right place. He knew what to do. He would wait until they got back on the island of Mykonos and find one of those classic white buildings with the blue roof and those pretty pink flowers she had been loving each time she saw them. Unfortunately, by the time that they got back to Mykonos, three other cruise ships had come into port. The small island was flooded with tourists (including them), and there was no where to set the tripod up for even a window of ten seconds. Plus, it was hot, very hot. They had walked all day in sweltering heat of the Cycladic Islands, and it was just not going to be the best time. So, they grabbed some food, sat down and watched the pigeons on one of the piers. He had wasted an opportunity, but maybe next time. Zakynthos—this is the important one. The clear blue waters, sweet, salty smell of the Ionian sea. Colton knew this was the place. There was a perfect area to propose. They got their bags together on the ship that morning, prepared the ‘go bag’ in which Colton had been keeping various different strengths of sunblock, some heavy duty chapstick, a towel, her expandable walking cane, the rain slip for her boot, three bottles of water, their identifying documents, and buried underneath all of that—the ring. After Colton brought breakfast to the room, he noticed that Kristin had been rummaging through the bag. She claims to this day that she was merely grabbing the sunblock and didn’t see the ring, but Colton doesn’t believe it. They get on the tender and walk slightly down the rocky shore at the port where people were gathering and splashing in the sea, and Colton marched his way down, set up his tripod with the camera, and beckoned for her to join him. She had other plans. You see, Kristin didn’t quite have a handle on walking again after three months in a wheelchair, on crutches, and now finally walking with a cane. She was not climbing down those rocks. Of course, Colton saw reason and decided to find a different place. He gathered up the supplies and set up the tripod between two boats where you could still see the sparkling water in the background. He faked her out and said “oh my god look at that boat,” during which time, he grabbed the ring from the bag, stuffed it in his pocket, and set the timer on the camera. He went over to her, got on his knee, and before he could utter a sound, she said “ARE YOU SERIOUS? YES. YES.” He replied, “uhm, are you going to let me ask?” She immediately apologized as she had ruined his perfect proposal. To her credit though, that was a good thing. He hadn’t really planned out what he was going to say. So, he asked her to spend the rest of her life with him. She said yes. Afterwards, they had to retake the photo because her interruption made for a most imperfect photo, but it was perfect to them. So, its true folks, the photo you see is not real time, it is a reenactment—of the most wonderful moment of our lives.

Afterward, not one photo was taken without that left hand finding its way into it—but they wouldn’t have had it any other way. They finished off their cruise going to two more destinations, and getting off the ship in Italy, where they spent the first week engaged wandering the streets of Florence, and of course, Rome, the eternal city—it really was what dreams were made of.

Upon their return to the States, the couple moved in together, he took the bar exam (oh yeah, he was supposed to be studying while they were gone. I believe the books were opened once, and only for about five minutes). Since then, they have been contemplating planning a wedding, and finally—they have.

We’ve shared laughs. We’ve shared loss. We’ve shared failures and successes. But, most of all we’ve shared love together for 8 long, and unforgettable years. We can’t wait to spend the rest of our lives together and celebrate with you all.