Joanna + David

All of this pretty weather has definitely raised my quality of life and productivity. My toes are also sporting a fresh pedicure complete with metallic purple polish. Hello, spring...and April! I'm starting out the month with a new love story! I met Joanna at Wedding 101 last spring. During our chat, she shared her love story with me. Chill. Bumps. I knew her and David's story was one I had to share. This story will leave you feeling all bubbly inside!

"HE'S JUST SO CUTE! That grin - it's what drew me to him in the first place. We met for the first time on March 6th 2013. He was my barista at the Frothy Monkey in downtown Franklin. 

I was sitting at the bar editing pictures when I saw him. He was the cutest thing I had ever laid eyes on. After being there for two hours, I found a way to cut into his conversation with his coworker. We instantly clicked and spent the rest of the evening getting to know each other. 

Boy was I hooked! 

From then on, I went in just to see if he was working. He started taking his breaks with me and went from sitting ACROSS the table to sitting NEXT to me at the table. One day after he got off work, he said to me "I should probably get your number shouldn't I?" 

Uh..you think?! 

It took two weeks until we were officially together. 

On our first date, we realized that we had seen each other previous to meeting - also at Frothy. I was sitting in the back room when a blonde hair, blue eyed, very attractive male walked through the door, sat his things down, and pulled out his Bible and journal. 

Right there I should've known he was the one for me. 

I found myself staring at him. He caught me and flashed that grin that made my knees melt. That night I left and was too nervous to say anything to him. 

We never put together that we were the same people until our first date when I wore the same sweater. 

It took one week from that date for me to fall in love with him. 

We were walking the streets of Franklin after seeing a movie that night. I couldn't help but look at him and smile! He asked me what I was thinking and I just wanted to blurt out "I LOVE YOU", but I couldn't. 

I wanted him to say it first. I didn't have to wait that long because we got home, he looked at me, and just said it - out loud! He surprised me and he continues to surprise me everyday. I could not imagine my life without him. 

He proposed to me on October 11th, 2013 in Frothy Monkey...at the very same table I was sitting at the first time we ever saw each other. 

I love him so much my heart hurts. It's a feeling that I've never felt before. We've both been hurt by others, but I have never loved someone with such relentlessness. I know that in the next 50 years we will endure struggle and pain, but the love we share will go far beyond a physical or emotional hurt. He's my coffee making, piano playing, James Bond loving, Lego building, book reading, handsome looking love of my life. I can't wait to spend every moment with him." 

You should see these two together in real life...adorable! Their story is one of those that makes you believe in love at first sight. Joanna, thank you for sharing your story with me and letting me share through here! Wishing you and David nothing but continued happiness as you start this new chapter together! 

Dear 15 Year Old Self,

My boss, Ashley #1, found an article and sent it my way saying, "Love Struck material." I read it, and of course I agreed. The Huffington Post article "15 Truths I Wish I'd Known About Love 15 Years Ago" is one that everybody should read and then reflect on. Considering I was only 8 years old, I can't write mine based on 15 years ago. But, I was 15 years old 8 years ago…so here are my 8 truths I'd wish I'd known about love 8 years ago.

(Dear Self)

1. It's not the end of your world. 

I look back at myself and can't help but giggle. I thought one person made up my world. I was determined that he was the one. By he, I mean my first love. When we would fight or break up, I would become so devastated…with a hint of crazy…but as far as I knew, my life was over. I'd be single forever. While still dating this person on and off at the beginning of college, I literally woke up one day and was over it. He wasn't my world…and looking back, he never really was. I don't regret all of the emotion I felt over several years, but sometimes you have to shed a few tears, eat some ice cream, and slap a smile on your face. 

Parting ways won't be the end of your world; it will actually be the beginning of a whole new one. Remember this in any relationships end. 

2. Personality > Appearance. 
Girls (or teens) do not look their age these days. They look older than me. Attention young-girls-wearing-too-much-makeup-and-not-enough-clothes, you won't find a healthy relationship that way, and you may be attracting the wrong boys.

You think your looks mean everything now, but 8 years from now, you will care about your HEALTH and finding yourself.

Eight years from now, after a few bad relationships, you will find out that finding someone with an awesome personality and someone who values your personality will lead to a much better relationship than one completely consumed by sexiness. Guess what, your personality can be sexy too.

3. Love yourself first.  
At 15 years young, I forgot to love myself and thought it was only about loving someone else. I was wrong.

You are young, and this time is meant for you to learn how to love yourself. If you don't appreciate and love yourself, then you won't know how to really love or appreciate someone else.

4. It's OK to be single. 
I went through a 6 year phase of binge dating and relationships. Two long term relationships happened during that time. When I was a Sophomore in college, I decided to take a break. I was mentally and emotionally exhausted. I didn't date again for two and a half years. During that time, I did several things that were out of my comfort zone (took a spring break trip to Hawaii with a complete group of strangers), concentrated on family (rebuilt a relationship with my mom), and I figured out what I wanted to do with my life post college (I took several internships, built a resume, and gained tons of experience). I found myself through going out of my comfort zone and challenging myself on what I wanted out of this one life.

In 8 years, you will be thankful for that time alone. You will be so scared, but it will be completely worth it. And remember, you really aren't ever alone.

5. Take hints.
I failed miserably at taking hints. I ended up hurt at the end of it. This one is common sense: If he isn't calling/texting you, then he isn't into you. Don't push it.

Don't worry. You will only feel the pain of rejection for a night, and then you will move on. In 8 years, you will have forgotten those losers anyway.

P.S. Make sure he takes your hints as well. No means NO. Period. Stick to your guns and don't be pressured.

6. You might never know why. Accept it. 
Sometimes in life, you will have to go through things and there won't be a rhyme or reason for it. This is especially true in relationships. I used to need a reason to try to make sense of why a break up was happening or why someone didn't like me. Well, that reason doesn't matter because it wouldn't have made me feel any better.

Things fall a part for a reason that you may never know. You don't always need a reason. Be Ok with it. Trust yourself and your decision. Accept it. Then, let it go.

7. Love isn't what you think it is.
I knew that I was in love in high school. Putting his needs before my own, constantly wondering what he was doing, always wanting to see him…well, this was more like an infatuation than being in love. At 15, I would've debated that statement and defended my love. Three serious relationships and eight years later, I've learned the difference between being in love and lust/infatuation.

My young self, you think you know what love is, but you have no idea of what love love entails. Real love is so much deeper than what you felt in the past. It's not just an infatuation or obsession. Real love is a deep connection where both people acknowledge, respect, and appreciate each other's unique nature and well-being for the individual and the relationship.

That may be too wordy for my 15 year old self. But just know, it's better than anything you will experience in high school.

8. Don't search for love. 
They say love finds you in the most unexpected moments and places, and I believe it. There's no need to spend your days searching for your soul mate. Instead of searching for the wrong love (the kind you want just because you are single and "lonely"), love yourself and the right love will enter your life.

Love isn't something you need to look for or seek out, like it's something missing from your life. Love is something you already have. You are love, and you are loved. It's basically a lifestyle, a way of living. It's a state of mind. Live your life doing these three things: Love yourself, love others, love life and then everything else will happen in the right time.


Dear 15 year old self, don't give up. You have so much love to give, and there's an even better love out there waiting for you.

Ryle + Kevin

It's been a few weeks since I've shared a love story. Since the weather is so nice, it only makes sense to warm some hearts with Ryle and Kevin's love story! I had the pleasure of working with Ryle for a very brief time over the holidays a few years ago. We were coordinating a wedding together and during some down time, she told me and a few other girls about this guy she had just started seeing. She was supposed to move back North a few weeks after I met her, so we all assumed that this was just a fling. Well, we were wrong… :) 

From Ryle: We both joined a kickball team to have fun... not to find love. Besides who finds love when your team name is “Pitches be crazy.  And yet we did find love, not right away, but when it happened it was one of those moments where life changed.

October of last year- theme night for our kickball league. Our team had decided to sport a wonderful array of tacky vests. Despite being halfway through our kickball season we had yet to meet in person. (Our team group email allowed us to both know that there was a Kevin and a Ryle team mate.) But our busy schedules kept us from ever meeting face to face. Until tacky vest night. Strolling up in my oh so wonderful Halloween knit vest I spotted a guy with a dog. All the other games I had been at we had never had a dog and the fact that I just adopted a pup the week before had me bee lining to see who this was that had brought along a furry friend. And there was Kevin decked out in his cowboy vest with his dog Flash in tow. It is crazy now to look back at this very moment and think that this is when it all really began. A quick introduction, talking about puppy parenthood, and then running off to the field to start the game.

A few weeks later and only 2 other games and sparse conversation we ended up sitting next to one another at the bar after our final game. 4 hours later we were still there chatting about everything and anything. Including how Kevin was still settling into Nashville and the new potential job that would make his stay there official, and me informing him of how my lease was up at the end of January and I was going to move to New York. My Nashville days were expiring and I was ready to go. It felt like we covered it all, down to Kevin telling me about the engagement ring he would inherit when the time was right. –Still have no idea how that came up, but it’s so crazy to think of now! Finally leaving at 2 am we made plans to see each other the following day.

Heading home in the wee hours, my mind was spinning. I was planning to leave Nashville and head back north. I was so ready for a new city, new experiences and go back to school. Meeting a guy was the last thing I needed to be doing, and yet here we were, talking nonstop that first night, making plans for that weekend, discussing so many different things. There is all those sayings “ love finds you when you least expect it”, “life is what happens when you are making other plans” etc. all quotes that I use to roll my eyes to and now they kept rolling through my head. Kevin and I had made plans to see each other the next night and ended up being almost inseparable for the rest of the weekend, one date just rolled into another. Without actually sharing this thought with one another we were both on the same path of figuring out if this was really “something”. Kevin was leaving town in a week and wouldn’t be back for another 2 ½ weeks, and I was planning on completely moving out of the state. Nothing like a little pressure. 

By the end of that first weekend I just had this feeling, I just knew that Kevin was “the one”. It is always crazy to hear other people describe it, until it actually happens. And it is just incredible (absolutely horrifying) but incredible. After seeing one another a few more times that week Kevin took off for home and Thanksgiving. Both did not plan to talk much while he was gone, yet we ended up on the phone every night. The weeks he was gone were filled with me trying to figure everything out. Do I stay in Nashville and see what happens? Do I just hang out with him till it is time for me to move? Is he really interested? Thank goodness for great friends who were willing to listen to me ramble on about this as I tried to figure it all out. Those few weeks seemed like they dragged on forever. I did not think I could possibly miss someone that I had barely known a few weeks before but as his return date grew closer we both were as excited as kids on Christmas morning. By the time Kevin returned my life plans completely changed.  I decided to stay in Nashville and see where this could all go.

Two months later, Kevin and I had both found new places to live. My lease was signed and his deposit was paid. Kevin was also in the process of accepting a new position with his company when a counter offer was given to him. This offer included moving to Minnesota. I always remember coming home from work and trying to quickly get ready for dinner as he talked about his day and meetings and then said to me “ I realized today that I am absolutely in love with you and cannot imagine my future without you”. He then told me about the new offer he had to move to Minnesota and asked if I would ever consider moving with him. I think my mind was made up before he even finished his sentence.

Another two months later, and Kevin, me and our two dogs were packed into the car and heading north to our new home. Moving to Minneapolis has felt like a whirlwind. Settling in, discovering the city, birthdays, an amazing proposal, figuring out life as an engaged couple, starting new jobs, surviving the cold, the beginning stages of planning a wedding. It has been quite the adventure.

It is amazing now to think back to a year ago, and to realize how much has happened in just a year. I would have never thought that I would be so lucky as to meet such an incredible person as Kevin is. We have both learned so much about who we are and how to continue to grow as a couple. No love story is complete without its ups and downs, and definitely in the past year with so many changes it was not always easy. Yet we have worked so hard to learn from the tough times, and the good and the bad has helped to teach us who we are as a couple.  With our marriage less than a year away now we are so looking forward to growing as a couple with plenty of good times ahead and a commitment to work through the difficult times.  The two of us can't wait to begin the rest of our lives together and write the rest of this story.

Our assumption was totally wrong, and we are all so happy about it! You can find love in the most unexpected places and situations. Her opening line says it all,  "And yet we did find love, not right away, but when it happened it was one of those moments where life changed." I wish Ryle and Kevin nothing short of an amazing life together. 

The One?

I went to dinner with a great, new, old friend this week, and I had several ah-ha moments in that margarita filled 1.5 hours. I love my old new friend, Madison. She is a free spirit who's so full of life. I have true, meaningful, intelligent conversations with her about life and love.  Basically, she's great and I love when we slow life down for a little while to laugh, happy cry, and catch up…and eat Mexican food.

(Etsy)

Love. She and I are on different spectrums when it comes to love. She is getting back to loving herself after a long year of loving someone else, and I'm in the early stages of sharing my love with someone else. We talked about finding, having, and the existence of The One.

 I posed the question to her, "How is there a "The One" for you among billions of people roaming the Earth?"

I have a lot of thoughts on this, but to summarize, I don't believe in stumbling upon the one. The One should be God, or whatever higher being you believe in. There are billions of people on this planet; how in the world can there be just 1 person out there for you? If that's the case, then we are all doomed to a long life of forever-searching and comparing. There's not 1 single person out there for you.

 Madison's response was epicness. "There's not someone that we just accidentally bump into and a switch goes off saying that he or she is "the one." Instead, WE PICK who "the one" is for us."

We pick. Who knew we had a choice?

This is something we all know…we've all known…all along. However, television, music, movies, and Nicholas Sparks' novels romanticize the idea of love and relationships. They create a fantasy. If you live and love according to Twilight, then you believe that there is only 1 person/vampire out there for you, and life can't go on without them.

Well, anyone that's been in a relationship knows that they are NOTHING like the movies. In fact, they take a lot of work and time…more time than a 90 minute movie or 200 page novel.

Real life is way more involved…and that's what makes it so much better. That's where the emotion comes in. In reality, we get to pick and choose who we spend and share our life with. It must be a mutual picking to start a relationship with someone, but the point is that two people choose to become important parts of each other's lives. You have the power to pick who you want to have in your life…then it's up to both people to build on that choice and create a relationship.

When you think you've picked the one, you better keep your fingers crossed he or she has decided on you too.

This, my friends, was an ah-ha moment for me. It's something that I already knew. It's basic common sense, but it didn't hit me until Madison said the words, "we pick who the one is for us."

No one picks for you….but you.

You are never stuck with someone. You are never trapped in a bad situation. You get to choose whether or not to stick with them or get out. You get to pick who you share your laughs, cries, smiles, and love with. When shit's tough, you get to pick whether or not it's worth pursuing. (That's one sign of someone being "the one"). There's no one writing rules to love…but you.

I believe in fate and destiny and "everything happens for a reason," but if you don't take the hints, then you are missing your chance to choose the right one for you. I could go into my qualifications for who would be fitting as the right one, but it boils down to this: 30 years from now, you should still be saying that he or she is the most amazing person you've ever met.

That, again, are wise words from Madison.

You should join the conversation! Do you believe in "The One" or having the choice to choose the one?

Sarah + Michael

It's VALENTINE'S DAY! Normally, I really don't care for this day. I feel like it's lost the true meaning. It's become commercialized and somewhat stressful for the male species. Let's be honest, ladies put too much pressure on their men and set them up for failure. So, what better way to remember the meaning of Valentine's Day than with Sarah and Michael's touching love story. I must thank Linda and Kortni from Historic Cedarwood for connecting me with Sarah. Get some tissues ready because this is a good one!

(Sara Kristen Photography) 

From Sarah:  ”Michael & I met in a very unusual way – through an electronic communications network called the in-ter-net. It’s something Al Gore invented. You may or may not have heard of it. Specifically, we met on what one would call a “website” in which you create a profile to inform members of the opposite sex that you are interested in dating and/or pursuing marriage. This is where our story begins.  I (Sarah) had attempted to meet a future spouse via the in-ter-net in the past, but had not experienced success. It had been two years since I had tried to meet someone this way, when my best friend, Dr. Ashley Watson Johnson, encouraged me to try yet once again. Michael & I were matched up within one week of me starting my subscription. Michael requested communication with me first. I was very attracted to Michael & who he was, but he had a very heavy/intense story. However, he was very open & honest with his story from the very beginning and I truly appreciated this about him – which made me like him even more.

 Michael’s heavy/intense story involves him losing his wife, Beth, of 14 years in August 2012. Beth passed away due to complications with a medication following her second brain surgery. Michael & Beth had 4 kids together – 3 biological & 1 adopted. Katie (12), Mikie (10), Gabriel (8), & Scarborough – nicknamed “Scar” (21 months). Scar was adopted from Ethiopia 9 months before Beth passed away.  Here is a video about Michael & Beth’s story if you are interested in knowing more about the adoption of Scarborough: (At bottom) 

I (Sarah) was hesitant about starting a relationship with Michael. But not because I had concerns about him or his kids, but I felt as though getting involved with him not only meant being involved in his life, but also the life of 4 beautiful children (who had recently lost their mother). This was not something that I took lightly. I felt as though I was not the right fit & I was concerned about my ability to not only become a wife, but an instant mom of 4 children. Additionally Michael lived in Hopkinsville, KY and I lived in St. Louis, MO.  I told Michael that I was willing to get to know him, but that I really felt he needed to be with someone else – someone more capable to handle his situation. Well, Michael disagreed & wouldn’t take “No” for an answer. So pursued me with a fierce passion (ok, so maybe it wasn’t that fierce, but since Michael put me in charge of writing our story then I get to write what I want – smiles.)

Michael & I emailed every day for a week. We asked each other a ton of questions. In one early email, Michael wrote:  “I realize that my story is overwhelming, but God has already brought good from Beth’s death.  As you have seen in the videos and the blog, God is doing AMAZING things!!  I decided to get on eHarmony for the fact that I know God has someone else out there for me to share this life with.  He has many great things left to do with my life and I figure He can be glorified even more if I have someone to share/live His story with.  I’m not looking for someone to just help raise my kids.  In 10 years 3 of my four kids will be out of the house.  I’m looking for someone to join with me in the story God has for my life.  I have an awesome life and miss being able to share it with someone.  I have a great group of friends that have supported me through the whole process, but it’s not the same as having that person that is there night and day.”   After that week, Michael asked me if I wanted to continue down this path or if I wanted to end it and we could go our separate ways. I didn’t answer him for 2 days – instead I decided to think & pray about it.

I responded that I was up for at least meeting to see if there was chemistry between us. He was pleasantly surprised to hear from me (at least that is what I tell myself – smiles) and we decided to meet half way in Marion, IL. Our first date was quite entertaining, to say the least… that’s a story we can share at a later time.  After our first date, we began talking on the phone and skyping each other almost every day. Our conversations would usually last about 5 hours. We continued to talk, laugh, & cry through these conversations over the next few weeks. After reading the book “How to Date a Widower” in 2 days (smiles), I decided to come to Hopkinsville to spend more time with just Michael before I would agree to meet the kids. Soon afterward it was time, and after meeting the kids, I decided to move to Hopkinsville. I then started to become a part of their lives. I would spend time at the house. I would arrive early in the morning to see them off to school. I began to do their laundry, pack their lunches, help them with homework, & helped put them to bed at night.

By April, Michael & I had decided to get married. Michael proposed to me on his 39th birthday. We had planned a scavenger hunt with the kids on that day, and Michael decided to surprise me on our first stop.  As we rushed to an old gazebo in a small park near downtown Hopkinsville to escape the rain, I realized we had left our scavenger hunt paper in the van. I ran back to go get it & when I came back to the gazebo, Katie (Michael’s 12-year-old daughter) handed me flowers. At first I just thought the flowers were part of the scavenger hunt. Then Michael turned to me & said, “We’re all taking a vote….and then he turned to the kids one by one & asked all of them what their answer was. After each of them said, “Yes”, he said, “We all agree, we want you to become a part of our family. Will you marry us?” Of course I said yes & some tears were shed. Michael placed the ring on my finger & we rushed off to continue our scavenger hunt.  After all, we couldn’t let a marriage proposal interfere from us winning (smiles.)  We were married on July 12, 2013 at Cedarwood in Nashville.”

You should be crying and feeling the love now! Sarah and Michael's story can remind us all of the true meaning of Valentine's Day. Carry the love and spirit of today with you every single day! It's okay to be Love Struck all the time…not just on Valentine's. 

 Be sure to watch Michael's and Beth's story adoption story below, and also see more photos from Sarah and Michael's Cedarwood wedding! 

Kristi + Bill

This week's story features a fun, quirky couple. I discovered their story through a contest I was running at Wedding 101. Couples were to submit their love story to win a chance to be our models for a style shoot. I had several submissions, but Kristi and Bill's story won my heart. It's funny how place, time, and the courage to start a conversation can lead to finding love. Enjoy!

(Allan Williams Photography: Samary Plantation Style Shoot, Fall 2013) 

Serendipity

Perhaps we chose a weird day to get married - March 15,2014.

“I know what March 15^th is!” Bill declared (he just knew it was famous for something) about 30 minutes after we had booked the church. “It’s the Ides of March!”

The Ides of March is a pagan feast day devoted to Anna Perenna, the goddess of the year, but arguably better known as the day Julius Caesar was murdered in Shakespeare’s famous play of the same name. So, maybe it is a weird day to get married, but its connection to a book also seems kind of fitting considering a book is actually how we met.

We met on a bus. Yes, like in the commercials, except in real life. Bill was busy reading his book, and I was concerned about getting the last available seat that was not next to a weirdo. When I asked him what he was reading, he sheepishly revealed that it was a fantasy novel. He immediately began to ignore me assuming that with his vast nerdom already revealed I would be disinterested. Fortunately for Bill, he did not look like your typical nerd—more Abercrombie and less World of Warcraft—and I was feeling chatty that day.

When Bill gave in and put down his book, we really hit it off. And when my stop came up before his, he gave me his business card. (He will admit now that he hoped the gold embossing would impress me.) We became Facebook friends, but we never talked again for two years, owing mostly to a former long-term relationship of mine. However, I kept that card for some reason—and now, we all know the reason.

When my high school sweet heart ended our nine-year relationship, it was like a plot to a bad rom-com or a Shakespearean tragedy. We broke up on a Tuesday, and I had to fly to my hometown thatThursday…to stand in my best friend’s wedding… in a bridesmaid dress that was “my color”…at the church I had planned to get married at…followed by a reception at the venue I’d always dreamed of. In a frenzy of updating my Facebook with pictures of me living my wonderfully fabulous, single, independent life (and deleting all those pictures of my ex) I posted a picture of me in that amethyst satin bridesmaid dress. And that dress just happened to catch Bill’s attention. He sent me a Facebook message that read, “I hope I’m not breaking any rules, but you look really gorgeous in that dress.” And who said bridesmaid dresses were useless after their one wear?

For our first date, Bill took me to meadery, which is like a winery, but for mead, a honey wine. Coincidentally, mead is also the drink of the gods in Norse mythology. So, it feels as storied as Shakespeare or cheesy television commercials or romantic comedy plots, and Bill and I just got giddy off the enchanted history we learned from the mead makers and the taste of a really good first date.

But having just gotten out of a long-term relationship, I was hesitant to dive back into anything too serious. So, I dated Bill, and Bryan, and David, and Keith, and Mike, and some other online dating disasters for a while. But I always kept coming back to Bill, a Cleveland, Ohio native—this man who had always proclaimed he hated three things in life: Southerners, lawyers, and people with dogs. (Bill now lives in Nashville, Tennessee, with an attorney and our Yorkshire terrier, Scrappy. And I maintain that God has a great sense of humor.)

We fell in love in the Fall of 2010 and have been together ever since. He made me listen to a lot of metal music, and I made him listen to a lot of country. We fell in love with Old Crow Medicine Show’s “Wagon Wheel.” And over Memorial Day weekend of 2013, after renting a delightful bed and breakfast in Gatlinburg for the weekend, Bill drove us two hours out of the way to Johnson City, TN, where he proposed, so that we could always share a glance and a smile when the honky tonk bands on Lower Broad inevitably play “our” song. Rock me, mama.

Now, you see exactly why I picked them! They certainly won some bonus points by having "Wagon Wheel" as their song! I'll be thinking of them on the Ides of March as they exchange their vows! :)