Brad and I met way back when I was in middle school.  I started going to the same church that Brad was going to, which is the same church we are getting married in.  Brad and I didn't really know each other until I was old enough to be in the youth group, which was when I was 13.  There was a youth choir that had just started up and I was asked if I wanted to join, so I did.  As a choir, we went on our first tour down to Myrtle Beach and Gatlinburg, stopping at some churches to sing along the way.  Brad and I were both in the group during this tour, and that's when I started to develop a crush on him.  The only problem was that I was 13 and he was almost 19.  With the age difference, I never wanted to pursue him and I knew he hadn't even given me a thought.  So we remained friends throughout the rest of my years at North View Baptist.  During high school, I left North View and moved away to Morehead where I went to college.  I had gone back to visit a few times, but I just couldn't drive that far to make it a regular occasion.  Although Brad and I were friends through social media, we didn't talk to each other through the years that I was away.  After many failed attempts at relationships that I tried to make work in my own time, I decided to give up searching for Mr. Right and let God bring him to me.  It wasn't long after that when I received a message through Facebook from Brad.  He told me that he shared my frustrations with finding the one that God wanted him to be with and that he would be praying that God would bless me in a big way.  Then he asked me if I would like to go out with him sometime!  I couldn't believe that my childhood crush was asking me out after all these years!  From the moment I said that I would go out with him, I felt this sense of peace and relief.  Everything from then on was so easy.  We were so good together and I never once thought about the fact that it could end.  I had finally found the one that God made for me and there was never any doubt in my mind that he wasn't.  After we started dating, I decided to start going back to North View.  It only took a short time for us to fall in love.  He told me he loved me at the top of a ferris wheel at the Bluegrass Fair on July 22nd, only four days after we were considered an actual couple.  When people say things like, "when you know, you just know", listen to them.  This has been the best and easiest relationship I've ever had.  Of course, we fight, but we are good at it.  When we fight about something, we never end the day without resolving it.  We never leave a room mad at the other person, and we don't slam doors and storm off.  We have real and honest conversations about why we're upset or angry.  We have patience and understanding toward each other.  That's how I know we will be together forever.  Brad is my best friend.  I would rather spend my time with him than with anyone else.  There's a popular saying that I never really cared for.  I wish I could have met you sooner so I could love you longer.  I am a firm believer in God's timing.  If God wanted Brad and I to be together any sooner, he would've made that happen.  I wasn't ready to be with Brad when we were younger.  I wasn't even ready to be with Brad a couple of years ago.  I know that I couldn't have been what Brad needed or wanted at any other time in my life.  God made Brad and I go through many different situations and relationships in our lives to shape us and mold us into who we needed each other to be.  So I love the fact that I had to wait so long to find him.  I love that I went though every failed relationship that I did.  I love that my life went exactly the way it did, because it led me to Brad Caudell.  

My first memories of Courtney were of this quirky little girl that was in the same youth group and youth choir that I was in. I remember that she used to be shy many times and hide in the background when we all hung out. We lost touch for a really long time after she and her family left the church we went to. Several years later, I remember sitting in church one morning and in walked this beautiful girl. I thought "Wow she is pretty!". I just sort of said hi to her, but it wasn't until several minutes later that I realized it was Courtney! Man, I couldn't believe how much she had grown!! I immediately developed a crush, however, there were still a few years before our paths would officially cross again. I kept seeing Courtney on Facebook and what really caught my eye was when I saw a video she had posted of herself singing in church. I was hooked. One day I got the courage to message and asked if she’d like to maybe go out sometime and to my surprise she immediately replied yes! I was so excited. Well we hit it off right away and after the very first time we briefly met up, I said to myself “I’m gonna marry that girl”. I knew right away. Courtney is the greatest gift in my life and I couldn’t imagine my world without her now. I’m so excited to marry her and look forward to our future together!