Hey friends! Happy Friday! One of my goals for the new year is to start blogging and what better way to start than with an introduction! You guys see a lot about me through my regular Instagram and Facebook posts, but today, I’m going to share more about me and Cole as a couple. Also, it’s a snow day here and I’m loving getting to sit in my living room by the fire, sipping coffee and focusing on my business! So here’s our story:

 

Cole and I met six and a half years ago when we started working together at a local grocery store. I was sixteen and Cole was seventeen and he was QUICK to come up and talk to me, but it took his best friend, Kyle, telling me he liked me before we really hit things off. (Fun fact: We’re naming our son Kyle after him!) The first thing to know about us is that we grew up just half a mile down the road from each other, so when we started dating we would take turns walking to each other’s houses to see each other. Okay… Cole did most of the walking! This is some of our first pictures together and part of me doesn’t remember us ever being such babies! The first one was at the end of our prom night with two of our best friends, Tori and Kyle!

The week before our first dating anniversary, Cole left for boot camp to join the Marine Corps. Those three months of him being gone and only getting to hear from him through a letter one every week or two were some of the hardest, but most rewarding months of our relationship. One of the best days of my life was getting to see him that first time after boot camp! I think we both really decided during that time that we were willing to do whatever it takes to make our relationship work and it’s still so fun to read back through all of our letters.

The next three years took A LOT of love and patience to get through. Cole was stationed about four hours from home and although we’re so thankful he got stationed so close, it was still hard him being away most of the time. We both are somewhat surprised that we actually made it to our wedding day because the year we were engaged we didn’t get along very well… HAHA! The day we got married, EVERYTHING changed. It felt like a huge weight was lifted off of our relationship and we instantly became best friends again. We got married August 16, 2015 and I moved out to the coast with him, which was the best possible thing for our first year of marriage. It was great moving away and getting to spend that time really relying on each other. As great as that first year was, nothing could compare to the year and a half since then that we’ve been back in our home town. Cole finished his career in the Marine Corps in June of 2016 and we moved back home. The transition was a nerve-wrecking to say the least, but ultimately so comforting knowing if anything were to happen, we’d be surrounded by family. We lived in an apartment for one year and exactly one year after moving home, finished building our first house! We didn’t think life could get any better the month we were moving in, but a few weeks later… we found out I was pregnant! I’m now 31 weeks pregnant and we’ll be meeting our sweet baby Kyle SOON! The last six months have been filled with more love and joy than I ever could have imagined and I can’t imagine what the new year will bring for our little family. Now that you know our story, here’s a few of my favorite photos. I can’t wait to keep sharing with you! Keep checking back on Wednesdays for new blog posts!