In case you missed it, I am engaged! It's a wild story of how Tanner and I met, liked each other, started dating, and then got engaged. If you are single and needing hope or if you're a sucker for a good love story, you've come to the right place.
Mikaya
We met in October 2023 when I came into Agri Spray Drones for an interview. I started working there in November and was told very quickly by one of our amazing coworkers that there were lots of eligible, single young men at Agri Spray. But since this was my workplace, I wrote every single one of them off.
Tanner
I noticed something different with Mikaya the first time I met her. She had an energy and smile that lit up a room. She was great to work with and helped develop me in my professional career which brought us closer together. Over the winter, we worked very closely together and got along very well. Things started changing when I moved into my new office and she followed me there for the “sunlight”. ;)
Mikaya
True story. I was put in an office with no windows that was freezing. Why wouldn’t I want to work in a room with sunshine (hello seasonal depression!) and get to talk to Tanner throughout the day?
Tanner
Before we really started talking, I felt something missing in my life. I found myself praying more, which I hadn’t done in awhile. My prayers were for direction since I didn’t know where I was heading in life.
Mikaya
I was more and more drawn to Tanner, but I knew that we were not on the same page spiritually. I talked to a couple of my pastors' wives about him, and they suggested that I just pray for him... come to learn that when I started praying for him was the same time that the Holy Spirit started working on his heart.
Tanner
Crazy how the Lord works and the way that he brought us together. This part of our story is my favorite. It truly shows God’s grace and love for us.
During the spring, we started texting and hanging out at work more and more. I found myself waiting for Thursdays at work since that was the day that she would come in. While working with each other, she would ask questions that would spark great conversation and I noticed soon that there was something different about Mikaya, but I knew she wanted to focus on her career. I’m a slow mover and she’s a fast one so while I was dragging my feet on asking her out, she had friends at work talking in both of our ears to get us together. I finally worked up the courage to ask her out after we worked on an event together and had our first unofficial date at the University of Missouri Research Farm.
Mikaya
Not kidding. Tanner and I went out to shoot a promo video and then we ended up driving through the fields just talking about anything and everything. When we got back to the main hub at the farm, the rest of our coworkers had gone home.
Tanner
Our first date was at Murry’s Steakhouse in Columbia and it was the first time I took a girl to a place that nice.
Mikaya
Somehow I had managed to talk every other guy out of a dinner date since I have so many food allergies and it gets overwhelming. But Tanner researched allergy-friendly restaurants in Columbia, so how could I not go to dinner with him?
Tanner
We had an immediate connection over dinner and spent the evening driving around Columbia while having ice cream. I even let her drive my truck while I had my ice cream, and that is not something I would let a girl do on a date. I would come to learn that Mikaya would push me to try new things very quickly. Not soon after our first date, she came out to the farm which was also a first for me. Our first couple dates were filled with great conversation, laughter, and a connection I never knew I could have. She became my best friend and the person I would tell everything about my life to.
Mikaya
On my birthday, Tanner showed up with a dozen roses (thanks to In Full Bloom), a brand new outfit head to toe, and a big ole grin. I knew then that this boy was serious.
Tanner
It didn’t take long for myself to see a future with Mikaya. The first time I had the thought was when she ripped a chunk of my eyebrow off when trying to wax my eyebrows. Instead of getting mad or upset, I laughed. That night, I drove away and before I made it up the hill of her street I told myself “I’m gonna marry that girl”. Since then, I have spent my time working towards that goal. Mikaya has brought me so much joy but what she has helped with the most is the connection to the Lord that she has helped guide me in. I see the Lord working with her everyday and the way that she talks to others is a prime example of that energy that gives out.
Mikaya
Less than a week after the eyebrow waxing incident, we were on a walk around Tanner's neighborhood when I was filled with anxiety because I realized I seriously loved him and wanted to marry him. Might I remind you we had our first date a little over a month before that and had only been official for two weeks. After talking in circles and making myself more anxious, I blurted out, "I love you, and I can see myself marrying you. Which I probably shouldn't say since we just started dating, but I for real see it. It scares me because I really love you." Turns out, he felt the same way. We spent that night talking about what we wanted our future to look like and how the Lord was at work.
And the rest is history.
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