Alicia: March 8th, 2019 Austin asked me to go out on a date with him while we were sitting in my driveway. I awkwardly responded with an “uhh… sure.” 30 seconds later we went right back into talking and laughing like we normally do everyday as friends. I later texted him that night and let him know that I was genuinely excited to date him and that I was sorry for the awkwardness. This was the first time anyone I actually cared about asked me out on a date and I honestly did not think he was serious at first. We had been close friends for about 3 years and it never even seemed like we had chemistry like that.
Austin: I had been thinking about this and praying about it for at least a month. I had spoken to our friends and it was something I felt I needed to just go for. We hung out a lot leading up to that and every time I would find more and more reasons that I could see me dating her and even marrying her. I didn’t know what to do with the “sure” but it was better than a no and I thought I could at least convince her it was going to be great!
Alicia: That next day Austin, a close friend of ours, and I went on a weeklong trip to South Carolina (which was a trip we had planned months in advance). As we all love to travel together. Austin and I promised not to make it awkward for our friend. I’m not really sure if we succeeded or not 😂. But on that trip Austin and I, also took time each morning to watch the sunrise and just continue to get to know each other better.
Here are some of the beautiful sunrises we saw! Thank you Myrtle Beach for offering up some gorgeous views 😊
Myrtle Beach, SC 
We were already best friends so we knew a lot about each other. So we took this time to talk about our expectations in a dating relationship and to learn the kinds of things we wanted from our significant other.
Austin: I had never experienced this kind of conversation in my past relationships. It was a well needed time to just get to know the fundamentals, so that if we couldn’t come to agreement on those then this would definitely not work out.
Alicia: We both knew that if we were going to do this that it was serious and we did not want to waste our time and ruin a great friendship if this wasn’t the right thing for us. So we got deep fast. 😅 Here are somethings we talked about.
- Marriage
- Kids
- Our Values
- Male and female relational roles
- Our goals in marriage; could we realistically fulfill them for each other?
After talking about all of these things, we honestly aligned in all but one. 🥴 The one we didn’t agree on is how many kids we want 🤣 I want 6 (on some days) and he wants no more than 4. This is something we can definitely work out later lol.
Austin: I learned a lot during these talks and heard a lot of things I had assumed but just didn’t ask. As far as 6 kids, the Lord will really have to lead me into that because that will take a lot for me but if I feel it one day then it must be God!
Alicia: When we got back from our trip we went out on our first date. We dressed nice and he was a complete gentlemen. We had sushi 🍣 at a wonderful sushi restaurant in Baldwin Park and walked around the lake. We were simply ourselves having fun and enjoying each other’s presence.
This was my first “real date” and I loved every second of it. He made me feel like the best woman in the world and he didn’t have to try to hard to accomplish that. He was kind and courteous. We talked and laughed like we always do.
Austin: Over the next few months we continued to date and get to know each other. We often talked about marriage and our future. Some would say we were moving too fast but we knew we loved each other and we had decided from the beginning that what we wanted was a serious and committed relationship not just a date for a while and move on. We had a lot of fun while we dated and we got to know each other’s families.
St. Augustine 
First Week Dating (New Symrna Beach) 
Corona Cigar Company 
Alicia, Gabby (Niece), Austin 
Our First Paint Night 
Alicia and Madi (sister-in-law)
Alicia: On Thursday, August 8, 2019 Austin took me out on another date to the sushi place we went to on our first date. He asked me to walk to the gazebo with him “because we were early for our reservation.” There he got on one knee and asked me if I’d be his WIFE! Without hesitation or uncertainty this time, I said YES!! 🥰
Austin: This was a terrifying day not because I thought she would say no but because I couldn’t believe that we had gotten to this point and I was excited but just scared to finally take that step! This was the start of the greatest parts of my life and everything to follow changed so fast but wouldn’t trade it for anything.
Alicia: This was one of the happiest days of my life. I knew Austin was the one for me and I was more than excited to be his wife. He is everything I asked for and more. And little did I know that the next couple of months would prove that even more.
Over the next few months I became very stressed out, crying almost everyday, loosing friends, worn out over wedding planning, family issues, feeling extremely insecure. My emotions were all over the place it was crazy. During this time, Austin never pulled away from me or called me crazy. He only drew nearer. He constantly tried to comfort me and encourage me. When I told him I was going to go to counseling he was happy for me and encouraged me through the process. This season taught me that Austin was in it for the long haul. He was willing to stick with me even when I was a complete wreck. He was the shoulder I needed to lean on. He stayed rooted in Christ and praying for me through that process and I love him even more for it.
Austin: On Sunday, January 19, 2020 we exchanged our vows and became Husband and Wife! This day is the greatest day of my life truly. My life, all my mistakes and shortcomings, all leads to this moment where we say our vows and say I do. Watching as she walked down the isle in that dress made me lose it! I could see the rest of my life walking down that living room and I couldn’t wait to live this life together forever!
Alicia: I am so happy to be his wife. I love him so much and my love for him grows daily. As his wife, I love being there to give him support and encouragement. I love being able to welcome him home with open arms and remind him how much I love him. I love having him as my rock. I love having a lifetime partner in him. I know that no matter where we go or whatever we face, we are one: one team, one mind, one soul, serving one purpose. Our marriage is more than just a fulfillment of our happiness; it is a force created by God to bring glory to his name and to raise children with Godly values that impact future generations. We love each other dearly and we are learning daily how to live this married life as more and more challenges come at us. But, I love that not matter what, we have each other.
Austin: The beginning of our marriage started out pretty great but I come from a past (And still present at this time) of struggle with sin and lust specifically. When I was out of town for a long term work trip I would struggle to stay away from porn which I had struggled with for many years. Finally, the Lord broke me down and I spoke to Alicia about what was going on and she was gracious and loving despite being extremely hurt which was understandable. We worked through this ultimately.
This I think is what lead us into a struggle with our sex life where it just wasn’t working for us for a little while. I was struggling with performance anxiety and thinking so much about how I was doing or even what I was doing. Seemingly putting so much focus on it made it worse! The Lord was gracious through this process and we grew together. Which lead us to learning about the new family member coming soon!
Alicia: Before getting married I knew Austin struggled with pornography and lust. I was no stranger to struggling with pornography but it wasn’t something that lasted as long for me. However, knowing this before getting married I knew that this would be something that we’d have to face together and work out by the grace of God. No, just to clarify, Austin did not have an affair and was not talking to any other women. But, when he came to me and told me he was struggling with this while he was away from me I was hurt. I was hurt because I felt like maybe I wasn’t good enough and that because of that he had to turn to those things. Especially when we struggled with sex in the beginning I felt like I wasn’t captivating enough to keep his mind on me. Although it was hurtful, it was important for me to approach him with grace because I want him to continually feel comfortable to open with me no matter what it is. It’s our job as husband and wife to lead each other closer to Christ and we can do this as we confess to each other and forgive one another as Christ has forgiven us.
We talked to each other about these feelings of insecurity and prayed and sought God together and quickly got through this and over our struggles. At the end of March 2020 beginning of April 2020 we found out we were pregnant!
We were both excited and scared. We decided to have our baby at home and you can read our Birth Story. Or watch our Birth Story on Youtube.
Our daughter, August Marie Darrow, is now 4 months old and we love her so much. We love being parents and having her has only made us grow closer together and fall more into our roles as husband and wife.
As I look over our story from best friends to husband and wife, and now mother and father to our beautiful child I am glad that it did not happen in any other way. Austin and I had very different dating and life experiences over the years but God knew exactly what he was doing. He prepared us for what we have right now. I’m so thankful God graced us with the patience to wait for each other. I’m so thankful that God protected my heart for Austin. I’m so grateful for what we have and I am excited to live out this journey as Mr. and Mrs. Darrow. Or August’s Mommy and Daddy 😂
Tell us your stories about your journey to marriage.
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