October 3, 2015, Logan gave Ashtin a dream proposal.
“Logan called me at 7:30am and told me to go open my front door. I opened the door to find orange lilies, breakfast (Chick-fil-a, my favorite), and cards with numbers on them (Number 1-4):
Card 1: This card expressed his love and explained that he had a day planned for me. He also explained that I was not allowed to open the next card until I had completed the current card.
Card 2: A gift card for a manicure.
Card 3: A gift card for a massage.
Card 4: A gift card to grab lunch at Potbelly Sandwich Shop. The card also told me that I could head back home.
After Ashtin completed the fourth card, she headed home and found that Logan had been in her apartment while she was gone.
Card 5: This card came with a gift. The gift was a cross to add to my cross wall. The cross has a heart in the middle. This card expressed that what he loved most about me was my faith in the Lord, and this cross was meant to be a reminder that God is at the center of our relationship.
Card 6: This card told me what time I needed to be ready and what I needed to wear, but it did not tell me what I was doing.
Ashtin got ready and then headed over to Logan’s apartment. Once she arrived at Logan’s, they drove thirty minutes to their next activity.
“At this point, I am confused as to what we are doing,” shares Ashtin. “ I questioned him many times, to which he answered, ‘I don’t know’ with a smirk on his face! He wasn’t going to budge!”
As they pulled into a parking lot, Ashtin looked up and saw a hot air balloon. “I began to cry because I have wanted to ride in a hot air balloon for a very long time,” shares Ashtin.
After they enjoy an amazing hot air balloon ride, they went back to the car, and Ashtin found another card.
Card 7: This card leads us to Texas Roadhouse (my favorite restaurant).
After eating, they headed back to Logan’s house and Ashtin found card 8. “As I walked upstairs, I saw a sign that says “Number 8” with an arrow. The spiral staircase was lined with candles that lead me to the rooftop.” Ashtin opened the door to the rooftop to hear music and see a table with candles and card number 8 on it.
“I open and read a poem that he wrote. The poem ended with ‘Now, please stand and wait for me.’ The music that played while I waited for him was "All My Life" by K-Ci and JoJo. I stood there in tears of happiness, and then I heard the door open and Logan got down on one knee. He expressed his love and then asked me to marry him using American Sign Language. ASL is very near and dear to my heart and Logan used it to ask me the most important question of our lives.”
With tears in her eyes, Ashtin nodded yes and Logan wrapped her in his arms and gave her a great big kiss. Logan’s brother and his girlfriend, who were hiding behind the wall, caught their big moment on camera. Afterward, they celebrated with champagne and phone calls to their parents to share the excitement!
How did it begin?
“I took a screenshot of his profile and prayed he would notice my profile and make contact with me,” says Ashtin, 28, about her fiancé’s profile on CatholicMatch.
On Ash Wednesday 2014, Ashtin, who is from Fort Worth, Texas, showed up to Mass early, so she 
entertained herself by reading the bulletin. “On the back, I saw the advertisement for CatholicMatch,” shares Ashtin, “As soon as Mass was over, I went home and got on CatholicMatch to see if this would be something I was interested in.
I texted my mom my idea, and she told me, ‘Go for it!’” Ashtin set up her profile and began looking for a man who could possibly be her future husband. “I signed up with hopes of finding the person that I was meant to be with. I wanted someone that was going to want our relationship centered around Jesus Christ, and I figured that this was a perfect place to find that someone.”
Logan, 29, who is from Bedford, Texas, had been on some dates with non-Catholics, but he always felt like there was something missing that was preventing him from connecting with them more deeply.
“I knew religion was also going to be a very important component of the woman that I was going to marry, and my hope was to also find a strong Catholic woman to be a partner in my faith.” Logan also saw an advertisement in his church bulletin. “Even though I was weary of online dating, I decided to give it a shot, since I wasn’t meeting Catholic women by chance,” says Logan.
Ashtin wouldn’t have to wait long. Three days after she joined CatholicMatch, Logan sent her a message.
Logan had been on CatholicMatch for more than a year when he was matched with Ashtin. “Her infectious smile got my attention right away. As I read about how important her faith and family were in her life, I became even more attracted to her. I also saw that she was part of a big family, and she was interested in sports. I’m part of a big family, and I am a big sports fan, so I knew we would have a lot in common to talk about. I sent her a message and hoped she would respond.”
She lost a bet, and he won a kiss
Logan shares one of the reasons he was attracted to Ashtin early on in their relationship: “Smiling and laughing are important factors for me in woman. Ashtin smiles and laughs a lot. She laughed at all of my jokes, probably even sometimes when they weren’t that funny.”
Less than a week later, they went out on their second date. After that, they continued to talk daily and had several more dates. “One of those dates, I took her to dinner and then to play mini-golf. Before we started playing, I asked her if she wanted to make a bet. I ended up betting her that if I won, she owed me a kiss. Of course I won, and that is how our first kiss happened,” shares Logan.
On April 26th, less than six weeks after their first date, Logan and Ashtin became an official couple. At that point, they started going to church together every weekend and they began meeting each other's families.
Logan says the couple have grown close because they were willing to invest time in each other. “While we share many common interests, I think one of the reasons we get along so well, is that we genuinely want to be involved in each other’s interests.”
For example, after they started dating, Ashtin started to learn more about his favorite baseball team, the Texas Rangers, and Logan started asking Ashtin, a Deaf Education teacher, how to sign different words or phrases in American Sign Language Since she teaches deaf children.
Ashtin adds that Logan’s faith and his involvement in the Church are what attracted her to him most. “He is a lector at his church, and I could not be more proud to have him up there reading on Sundays.”
Ashtin adds that “Logan and I have a very open line of communication with all aspects of our relationship and this has helped us have a very strong relationship. However, above all, Logan and I continue to pray daily, independently and together.”
Logan adds: “Overall, we’re both very happy and laid back people, so it’s been very easy to get along and have a good time when we’re together.”
Ashtin and Logan are planning a wedding for October 15th, 2016. The most important part of the wedding—the church, St. Patrick’s Cathedral in Fort Worth, Texas—has been secured, but they are still planning the other parts of the wedding. “We’re still trying to find a reception venue that will be able to accommodate the 350+ family and friends that we would like to come,” says Logan.
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