date because my boyfriend was going to
be out of town.”
Bradley and Carly didn’t see each
other again until a seemingly random
meeting in Applebee’s in Statesboro
three years later. “I had been at
Anderson College in South Carolina
for two years,” said Bradley, “and just
transferred to Georgia Southern to be
closer to my family.”
Carly was going to Valdosta State
and majoring in Public Relations with a
minor in dance. She was home for the
summer, and her grandmother asked
her to ride with her to Statesboro to
take a cousin to the dentist. “We just
happened to stop to eat at Applebee’s,”
said Carly.
The chance encounter came two
weeks after Carly had broken off a
two-month engagement to her longtime
boyfriend. Bradley was babysitting
his young nephew, Brody, a toddler at
the time, which provided the perfect
conversation starter. Later, he realized
he still had Carly’s cell phone number
and texted her. After only a couple of
dates, they knew they wanted to be
together.
On the surface, it might have
seemed as if Carly and Bradley had
nothing in common. Bradley was a
tough guy who lived and breathed
wrestling and everything outdoors.
Carly was a dancer and had been
competing in pageants since middle
school. But the beliefs and values Carly
and Bradley shared made the external
differences inconsequential. In fact,
the diversity in their activities enabled
them to experience things beyond their
personal interests.
“We were dating and really liked
each other,” said Bradley. “But I wasn’t
ready to get married. And at that
point in life, you have to ask yourself,
‘What’s the purpose of continuing to
date someone unless that person is
the one you plan to marry?’ We were
both almost finished with school. It was
either commit and make plans to get
married or cut it off.” And Bradley cut
it off.
When Bradley finally figured out
that the life he’d been so desperate
to protect was the life of a selfish and
immature kid, he said, “I rushed down
there to tell her I loved her and that I
was sorry.”
Although Carly was happy to see
him, it took her a few days to process
Bradley’s change of heart. Even so, she
said, “We both knew the break had
allowed us to mature in areas that we
would have struggled in later in our
relationship.”
They had only been together for a
few weeks before Carly was to compete
in the Miss Georgia Pageant. Now as
Bradley held his breath, the Announcer
finally broke the tension with, “First
runner-up: Carly Floyd!”
“I think I was the happiest first
runner-up they had ever seen,”
said Carly, laughing. “We were both
relieved.”
The next part is a little unclear.
Neither one can agree on how it
transpired. But regardless of who
initiated the marriage proposal, before
they made it home from the pageant
that July 2011, the church had been
booked for a December wedding.
Soon after, Bradley was hired to
teach 9th and 10th grade in West
Laurens on a provisional degree.
“With a provisional degree,” said
Bradley, “I had three years to get my
master’s in education.” He also took
on coaching football, wrestling, and
baseball while teaching and working
ABOVE While coaching at Toombs County High School, Bradley took
cousins Deven and Sebastion under his wing. Eventually, they adopted
Deven and began to raise both boys in their home. Raising teenage boys
was no easy task, but, again, love showed them how.
70 Toombs County Magazine