Grace and I met at my coworkers, Jimmy and Sydney Grant’s, wedding.

Apparently before the wedding Jimmy had already told Grace about me, though I wasn’t aware of any of this. I arrived early to the church in Huntsville and at the very last moment noticed a group of people hurry to find their seat. Grace caught my eye right away, in fact I’m pretty sure we made eye contact a couple times. At the reception I sat across the room from her group. It was so strange, every time I got up it seemed like I was bombarded by people, none of which I had met before. Finally, small talk in the buffet line led to a connection of another Oklahoma State Student that they insisted I needed to meet.

“Coincidentally” Grace was sitting at this same table as the OSU student, and that's where they introduced me to her. I shook her hand like I would to someone I met at work—not my finest moment.

Looking back it made sense, all these people talking to me were trying to introduce me to Grace.

After the reception I redeemed myself when a large group went out and I got an opportunity to talk to her.

The next morning my mom asked me how the wedding was, and I told her if this girl whose number I got responds then the wedding was great. Well, Grace responded and we planned our first date at Gringo’s in Rosenberg. We continued to see each other at least once a week. On our first date in Houston we drove around looking at Christmas lights. We were having fun talking and laughing a lot— that’s when I knew I would be making the drive to Houston often.

After dating a month, I attended a going away party for her friend Jenny in Houston. As we were leaving I made a comment about how all the buildings and lights made it hard to see any stars.

The next week Grace came to El Campo for the first time. After dinner I took her out to the farm where we looked at stars under an oak tree and asked her to be my girlfriend— this is the same tree where I proposed. The rest is history.

On my 26th birthday a friend from college texted me the yearly "happy birthday" text. However this year the conversation continued, and he asked if I would be interested in being set up with his coworker David. Hesitantly I agreed to attend a wedding to meet this coworker, with the caveat that David knew it was a set up. I walked into the church in the nick of time to grab a seat, as I scanned the crowd in the church I immediately made eye contact with the coworker and felt my cheeks get pink. By the end of the night two things were certain:

1. He didn't know it was a set up.

2. He had my phone number.

A week later I nervously made my way towards Gringo's in Rosenberg, wondering where the heck El Campo was. When we left dinner I told my friend, "There's no way this doesn't work out," to which she replied, "Grace, I think this might be it!"

With every date we went on, we would review each date by sending each other a scorecard. I loved this little flirty banter we had going, and it made me feel confident that we were on the same page. Until the third date, when I had to cancel because I had COVID. I was convinced he was going to ghost me as I waited out my isolation period, I was devastated! David kept me laughing via text, entertaining me as I felt like a prisoner in my apartment. After a long 14 day wait, we got to go on another date in Houston where we talked for hours.

I eventually ventured past Rosenberg to El Campo, where I learned what it meant to farm, I learned to enjoy the delicacy of small town Tex Mex, and I learned what it meant to live life at a slower pace. As I spent more time with David, there was no doubt that he is the man God created for me. He brings a sense of comfort to every situation, makes the most mundane moments fun, keeps me laughing, knows the answer to all my questions and keeps me grounded.

Under an old oak tree on the Truksa farm he asked me to be his girlfriend. Two years later under the same oak tree he asked me to marry him. A lifetime with David Goerig, 10/10.