How did you two meet?
Christian: "Chip and I met on a dating app. I remember thinking he was easy to talk to. We texted every day some pleasantries, how are you, who are you type questions, and I just remember it being easy. Then days turned to weeks, our banter got funnier and our conversations got longer. We had a couple of phone calls. Then, we had our first in-person date a little over a month later from 'matching.' Honestly, I thought our first date was just OK, haha! It was easy to chat, but I remember thinking: "No fireworks or crazy signs that he is the one?!" --but there was no reason I shouldn't go on a second date-- especially when he had driven up 1.5 hours to take me out and then 1.5 hours back home to Fort Rucker. Not to mention we could carry on a conversation for 4+ hours of a first meeting. The text he sent after our first date was really what made me give him a second chance. And I'm so very glad I did."
*Their first “meet up” was at Common Bond Brewers in downtown Montgomery where photos below were taken. Thanks, Common Bond! *
What are some things you too enjoy doing together?
Chip: "We enjoy traveling however/wherever we can. In 2020, this meant that at times driving 50 miles for a small town coffee shop was an adventure. House projects and yard work filled much of our weekends and it became clear that we both enjoy creating comfortable spaces inside or outside to enjoy. We are both very excited about future adventures with our pup, Oliver."
Christian: "We really enjoy being outside, doing house projects together, playing with our dog, Oliver and traveling when we can! We are big fans of finding new breweries and taco spots. We also love our friends and plan to spend lots of post-pandemic travel time to visit them."
How and when did Chip propose?
Chip: "A better story better told by Christian-- I think I blacked out. After several trips back and forth from Enterprise to Birmingham and one extra long journey to Huntsville and back, I finally had the perfect ring and her father's blessing. Then came the hard part! I wanted it to be fun, relaxing, and romantic... but it's impossible to not overthink it. The original plan was to fly a helicopter into Jordan-Hare Stadium at half-time of Iron Bowl and propose on a stage decorated by Charles Barkely, but, COVID. Plan B turned out to be even better. We ordered our favorite pizza (sort of... they were out of caramelized onions), put on a movie and had a dinner picnic in the living room. At some point, I couldn't resist any more, and I just asked. It was perfect because she said, 'yes’— nothing else really mattered to me."
Christian: "We had talked about engagement in 'hypotheticals'-- like, if someone were to ask me to marry him, I wouldn't want anyone watching-- I'm very subtle. When Chip proposed, I did not see it coming. It was the day before Thanksgiving, and Chip was still in flight school and flying at night. On Tuesday, he called and asked if we could get to my parents the morning of Thanksgiving and have Wednesday to relax-- which is not really like him, so I knew he MUST be tired. That Wednesday I was baking cookies, we ordered our favorite pizza (Chip was recreating his favorite date of ours) and had a rug picnic at my house watching the Greatest Showman (an almost Christmas movie). We were eating cookies, being silly dancing around the living room-- and he proposed! We didn't call or tell anyone until the holiday and the day after so we could enjoy discussing our future non-hypothetically (finally!)"
Christian— what do you admire most about Chip?
Christian: "Chip is just a good person. I love his service-oriented heart. He uses his truck to help friends move, turns around in the middle of a storm to make sure those that ran off the road are safe and okay, fixes the little kid next door's bicycle when the handlebars are loose, keeps water bottles in his car to give to the homeless-- and always makes me put grocery items back on the aisle I found them. I am constantly learning from his example-- he makes me a better human."
Chip's answer to Christian's question above: "Obviously his rugged masculinity, unmatched wit and superhuman strength."
Chip— what do you admire most about Christian?
Chip: "Her kindness, optimism and elegance. She surrounds herself with amazing friends, who think the world of her. I love her ability to maintain these strong connections, and I look forward to making new ones together as a couple. I have to admit however, it's very hard to keep track of who's who sometimes!"
