Texas Tech University<\/a>\u2019s homecoming concert, he knew.<\/p>\n\u201cI bought an engagement ring in March,\u201d he says. \u201cI\u2019ve held onto it because I wanted
\n to propose someplace special.\u201d<\/p>\n
England has no lack of breathtaking scenery, but he wanted a special place they could
\n return to \u2013 a home away from home. So much about Lubbock felt central to their love
\n story. He booked the plane tickets.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The Road Trip\u00a0<\/p>\n
The couple landed in Austin, Texas on Oct. 4 and connected with their friend Wesley
\n Lucas, a Texas Tech graduate they\u2019d befriended at last year\u2019s festival in Leicestershire.
\n Wesley now directs communications for Visit Austin and had been promoting Texas tourism
\n when she spotted Nathan in a Texas Tech shirt.\u00a0<\/p>\n
![\"Wesley](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Wesley-and-Nathan.jpg\")
Wesley and Nathan<\/p>\n
\u201cI was baffled,\u201d Wesley remembers.\u00a0<\/p>\n
But Nathan wasn\u2019t merely a T-shirt fan. He knew Crickets and Chimy\u2019s, the team, the
\n traditions.\u00a0<\/p>\n
They stayed in touch through Instagram. \u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cHe reached back out to me a bit ago and told me they were visiting,\u201d Wesley says.
\n \u201cHe also confided that he wanted to propose and asked for ideas.\u201d<\/p>\n
Wesley told him when he found the right spot, he\u2019d know.\u00a0<\/p>\n
As the couple drove into Lubbock, Louise asked if they could stop at Ransom Canyon.
\n She\u2019d been watching April Blair\u2019s Netflix adaptation and wanted to see the show\u2019s
\n namesake.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cIt became clear that\u2019s not where they filmed, but it was still gorgeous,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n
They drove their rental car down into the canyon. The sweeping views and the dipping
\n sun took their breath away. Nathan had been planning to propose at the concert that
\n night, but when he saw how captivated Louise was on the docks, he changed course.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cLouise loves being on the water,\u201d Nathan says. \u201cI knew this is where I wanted to
\n ask her.\u201d<\/p>\n
Louise was photographing the Bruno House when she turned around. Nathan was on one
\n knee.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI was shocked,\u201d she says. \u201cNathan loses everything. He misplaces his keys all the
\n time so the idea of him keeping track of a ring across the Atlantic Ocean is crazy.
\n Although now I know why he was so protective of his luggage.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
![\"The](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/The-ring.jpg\")
<\/p>\n
To celebrate, the couple caught the homecoming parade, crossed campus to the bonfire,
\n then watched the concert.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThey don\u2019t do anything like that in England,\u201d Nathan says.<\/p>\n
![\"Homecoming](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Homecoming-bonfire.jpg\")
<\/p>\n
As Flatland Cavalry took the stage, Louise says the evening felt surreal. Her favorite
\n song, \u201cA Life Where We Work Out,\u201d washed over them under the Texas sky \u2013 lyrics about
\n learning to love being in your own skin and finding that love in someone else too.
\n \u00a0<\/p>\n
Game Day<\/p>\n
Saturday morning arrived with anticipation. They reached campus early to take part
\n in tailgating – a tradition absent in England.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWe go to the pub instead,\u201d Nathan remarks.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The acres of smokers, barbecues, tents, live music, families playing corn hole \u2013 it
\n was the friendliest place they\u2019d ever been.\u00a0<\/p>\n
When they stumbled into a private ProPetro tailgate and apologetically tried to back
\n out, their accents caught the host\u2019s attention.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cA few minutes later we had free food and drinks, and they were asking about our story,\u201d
\n Nathan says. \u201cWe could tell they were a bit gob smacked. They were so welcoming.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
As kickoff neared, Nathan and Louise scanned their tickets and headed toward section
\n 120, seats on the 40-yard line. In their Texas Tech apparel, you\u2019d never know they
\n weren\u2019t native Lubbockites. \u00a0<\/p>\n
![\"Nathan](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Nathan-with-Raider-Red.jpg\")
![\"At](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/f000c008-b4b5-4eec-b504-aa55df320fb0.jpg\")
<\/p>\n
Saturday night\u2019s game unfolded as the perfect first taste of Texas football. The Masked
\n Rider galloping onto the field. The tortilla toss at kickoff. The nail-biting first
\n half. The Goin\u2019 Band from Raiderland.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThat was fantastic,\u201d Louise says. \u201cReal top-notch experience. Hats off to ya guys.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Proper Friends\u00a0<\/p>\n
Sunday night, they ventured to the Blue Light Live on Buddy Holly Avenue. Their favorite
\n bands got their start at this stomping ground. They couldn\u2019t leave without making
\n this final pilgrimage. \u00a0<\/p>\n
![\"At](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/At-the-Blue-Light.jpg\")
<\/p>\n
Even for a Sunday, the Blue Light reverberated with tunes and two-stepping to the
\n music of No Dry Country, Ronnie and the Redwoods and the Clay Gibson Band. Nathan
\n and Louise grabbed two stools overlooking the dance floor, absorbing the venue\u2019s everyday
\n magic. \u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cDoes everyone here know how to two-step?\u201d Louise asks.\u00a0<\/p>\n
She\u2019s itching to try, but Nathan keeps a hand on his Shiner Bock, showing some reservation.
\n Then a man catches their eye. Someone in a Texas Tech shirt walks across the room
\n and embraces them both.\u00a0<\/p>\n
It\u2019s the fan who welcomed them into the private tailgate the day before.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cOnly in town a few days,\u201d Louise says, grinning, \u201cand we\u2019ve already got proper friends.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
“Flatland Forever: A Texas Tech Story” tells the story of Flatland Cavalry,
from their humble beginnings at Texas Tech University to playing the biggest stages
\n in the world.<\/p>\n
Produced by Texas Tech, this documentary is a shining example of why From Here, It’s
\n Possible.\u2122\n <\/p>\n
\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"This English couple traveled 4,800 miles to attend homecoming weekend at Texas Tech and get engaged. CREATORS Homecoming…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":3976,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[16],"tags":[168,170,169],"class_list":["post-3975","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-lubbock","tag-lubbock","tag-lubbock-headlines","tag-lubbock-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3975","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3975"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3975\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3976"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3975"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3975"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3975"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
![\"Portrait](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/lucy-greenberg.jpg\")
<\/p>\n![\"Music](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Music-Festival-in-England.jpg\")
Music Festival in England<\/p>\n