Madison and Keith first met during the summer of 2020, while they were both working at Concord Marina in Knoxville, Tennessee. Madison was employed as a ‘Gas Dock Girl’ while Keith worked supervising boat rentals and maintenance. When business was slow, the marina employees would hangout at the gas dock and spend time together.

During the summer, every Monday the gas dock girls and maintenance guys would take a rental boat out on the lake and enjoy the summer weather. It was through these lake days that Madison and Keith got to know each other outside of work. Early in July, Keith asked Madison out on their first date to Kabuki- one of her favorite restaurants at the time. They found early on that they had similar interests including their love of medicine, adventure, quality music, weightlifting, and being outdoors. Their commonalities made their conversations endless and the hours spent together timeless. After their first date, the summer was filled with ice cream dates, hiking, Tellico cliff jumping, surfing, going on long drives, and enjoying spending time with each other.

Following the end of the summer, Keith began nursing school at South College, while Madison continued working virtually on her general education courses at Belmont University in Nashville. Due to the pandemic, they were still able to enjoy each other's time for another year before Madison returned to Nashville to begin her in-person nursing courses and clinicals.

Upon returning to the city in 2021, Madison and Keith learned how to navigate a long-distance relationship with two and a half hours in between them. They took turns traveling the distance to see each other and gained an even greater appreciation for their relationship and the minimal time they could spend together.

Keith graduated from South College during the summer of 2022, and shortly after began his nursing career at the University of Tennessee’s Cardiovascular ICU. A year later, Madison followed in Keith’s footsteps and graduated from nursing school as well. During her Florence Nightingale pinning ceremony, graduates were allowed to invite a nurse of their choosing to pin them. Madison excitedly chose Keith to pin and celebrate that moment with her.

Currently, Keith is employed as a Catheterization Laboratory nurse at Parkwest Medical Center and Madison works as a Cardiovascular Intensive Care nurse at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. After their union in September, Keith plans to take a nursing travel contract in Nashville while Madison finishes gaining ICU experience prior to applying to graduate school.

Come October of 2024, they will have dated for four years.

Photos

Engagement Photos