High School Sweethearts

Jessica and Hampton officially met in January of 2018. But their paths crossed several times before then, which is bound to happen when you grow up in a small town. In middle school, Jessica and Hampton were dance partners in Junior Cotillion. They also participated in the same STEM-inspired summer program.

It was in AP Chemistry class, however, that the two truly met. Jessica's high school did not offer AP Chemistry so she had to drive across town to Hampton's high school for the class. Both Hampton and Jessica considered dropping the class. Both are very glad they did not.

Quickly, Jessica started looking for reasons to talk to Hampton. She would ask him questions about upcoming tests and complain that the people she sat by talked too much until Hampton invited her to sit with him. Eventually, the two decided to meet one evening at Panera Bread to study together. Jessica asked Hampton if he thought they should invite anyone else from class. Hampton said no.

Jessica got to Panera Bread ten minutes early for their study session and decided to wait until she saw Hampton arrive to go inside. When it was close to their scheduled meeting time, and Hampton still had not arrived, Jessica started to wonder if she was being stood up. She went inside anyways and found Hampton waiting. He had arrived twenty minutes early. And he did not bother to bring a book bag.

Hampton made sure it was clear to Jessica the next time they hung out it was a date. The two went to dinner and talked for so long that they were asked to leave because the restaurant needed the table.

After going on dates for a few weeks, Hampton asked Jessica to go to senior prom with him. On April 22, 2018 the two became an official couple.

Clemson

Jessica and Hampton both knew they were going too attend Clemson University before they ever met. At Clemson, their relationship continued to strengthen. The two bonded over a shared love of college football and attended nearly every Clemson game together. Jessica and Hampton also discovered that they love cooking together. By their junior year, the two were cooking dinner together nearly every evening. Jessica and Hampton also loved going on hikes together and on the weekends they loved visiting state parks such as Table Rock, Talullah Gorge, and Chimney Rock.

But most of all, Jessica and Hampton loved going on walks around Clemson. During these walks, they would talk about everything and anything. They shared with each other their fears, their dreams, and their ambitions. In the Fall of 2021, one re-occurring topic started to come up on their walks: law school and long distance.

When Jessica graduated in December of 2021, the two knew everything was about to change. Jessica moved to Charlotte, North Carolina to work until she started law school at the University of Georgia. Hampton finished his time at Clemson and graduated May of 2022. He then worked in Greenwood until he began medical school at the University of South Carolina in Greenville. Throughout law school and medical school, Jessica and Hampton made every effort to see each other as much as possible.

The Proposal

In July of 2024, Jessica and Hampton traveled to Acadia National Park. Acadia was one of the top items on their bucket list. Jessica and Hampton set up camp at Bar Harbor Campground and excitedly prepared for their early hike the next morning. The two woke up at five o'clock in the morning and were some of the first people in the national park.

On July 31, 2024 Jessica and Hampton started on the Ocean Path trail. This trail featured stunning views of Acadia's cliffs and beaches. At the very first overlook, the two stopped to take pictures. Jessica had her back to Hampton and was pointing out a feature in the cliffs below. When she turned around, Hampton was on one knee. Jessica joyfully and tearfully accepted his proposal.