"December 2009, she walks into the party. Her 4'11 power stance makes you want to hide, but her smile is so inviting you find yourself compelled to start a conversation. When I first made contact with her sassy green eyes I knew I was in trouble. 

Up until now, I had spent my entire high school career searching for love and my heart told me that I had finally found it. My brain however said, 'pull yourself together! You leave for boot camp tomorrow!'. Not only did I say goodbye to family and friends that night, but also to my future wife. 

Over the next four years, I travelled to over 12 different countries and 15 different states. Being stationed in Germany and Maryland kept me on the move and away from home, except for the occasional weekend visit.

I love to share my adventures on social media. I believe if people can see me traveling on a budget, it will help prove to others that they too can travel. 

In 2014 I switched to The Air Force Reserves in order to attend college in southern Utah. One evening I received a message from Ashley stating how she had seen my photos and loved following my adventures. She said she was inspired to travel more frequently and live life to the fullest. My response to her was to prove it! Prove it by visting me in Utah. To my surprise, she did just that.

Now I've been deployed, shot at, and in many uncomfortable situations, but somehow, I found myself nervous while waiting to pick her up at the airport. Then there she was, still 4'11, and she was just as excited to see me as I was her.  We were reunited at last! 

By the end of the week, I couldn't say goodbye again. I knew I needed to move home to Kalamazoo, Michigan where we could continue to allow our relationship to grow and blossom. As well as be closer to family.

Ashley's family was going through a rough time. Her mother, Cathy, was diagnosed with ALS, and for two years, Ashely was her primary caregiver. Sleepless nights and not enough time gave new meaning to 'living life to the fullest.'. Enjoying every last day with her mother was the utmost priority.

When I finally moved home, I noticed something different about Ashley. Those sassy green eyes now hosted a sadness, that power stance now powerless against the fate of death. During this time I had the great privilege of meeting Cathy. I was able to see where Ashley gained her beauty, brains, and where her deep selfless compassion and caring for others originated. It is for all these reasons and more that I love Ashley. 

After Cathy passed away, Ashley and I decided to rejoin The Air Force. The open road, a fresh new start, may it lead to adventures that heal that heart. Often Ashley would spread her Mom's ashes at places she had always wanted to visit. Remembering her in our daily lives in how we keep her memory alive. However, this also comes at an emotional price.

When planning large life moments, like birthdays, holidays, and weddings, you quickly remember we're missing one of the most important people. Growing up as a kid, you imagine your wedding day with your entire family there, not half of them. When Ashley imagines picking out her dress, it's with her mom, not mine. Trying cake for the reception, vanilla was her Mom's favorite. 'Memory Lane' makes decision-making incredibly difficult when all you really want is your mother back. 

 Even if the wedding day didn't happen as planned, we have embraced life and what truly matters, living every day to the fullest. Now, even, as parents, to a beautiful little girl, Aurora Joy. That is something that Cathy would surely love and be so proud of."

"It was summer of 2009 when I first encountered Nic. Staring up at his long red hair as he stood atop a coffee table jamming on an acoustic guitar, singing his heart out to the jam-packed house party. I remember thinking, "Wow, this guy is wild!". And that was that.

Afterwards, I added him on Facebook and found out that what I had attended was his going away party for the Air Force. From then, silently, I followed him on social media for years.  Watching as he lived this day-by-day, in-the-moment, bucket-list life. Honestly, he just blew me away! I finally found myself typing up a message to him on his birthday, February 1st of 2014. It felt silly reaching out to him but knew that I had to at least tell him how he lived life inspired 'ordinary' people like me. WHEWIE! I did not expect him to respond, let alone REMEMBER me! 

We talked on and off for about a year when he told me that he was visiting town. I blew him off the night of a beach party he invited me to and received one peeved phone call that evening demanding my presence at a Buffalo Wild Wings the following day. I obliged and boy am I glad I did. When I arrived at Buffalo Wild Wings, he greeted me with a full-on romantic movie kiss! Which, is something that's now been an ongoing debate about who actually initiated said kiss. 

From then on, I couldn't shake that this guy was something my heart and soul told me I needed in my life. In early 2016, he extended an invitation to visit him in Utah. I don't think he was expecting my resounding YES. To tell you the truth, at that point my world had been turned upside down. I had been caring for my deteriorating Mom. I needed a break. Something also told me that I needed to see him again too. 

Everything about the Utah trip was a storybook fairytale in my eyes. I mean, horseback riding in Zion National Park?! C'mon! 
The evening I arrived I texted my friend and said, 'You're going to call me crazy, but I think I'm going to marry this man.'.

A few months later, Nic returned to Michigan. His reasoning was school and that he just wanted to be closer to me. Nic barrelled into my crumbling world like a spark of fire that I desperately needed. My passion and flame for life had all but been completely diminished as I continued to watch my Mom end her battle with ALS. 

Nic and my Mom were blessed to have met each other. For a slight moment, they were able to share love and laughter with one another. Something that I'll always be grateful for. The day my Mom met him, she looked at me and typed out, 'He's The One.'- boy did she know it!

He held me the day she died, helped my family in more ways than I can begin to account for. He was the calm in the storm of my life. 

After the most tumultuous time of my life, Nic has lived up to every expectation I ever had of him. He urged me to crawl out of my comfort zone and visit a new country.
We spent our days exploring and our nights dancing on the rooftops, smoking cigars. 

We made the decision together for him to rejoin the military, which pushed me even further. We even moved away to Florida together. It was the most rejuvenating and soul renewing experience I never knew I needed. We played pirates on islands, learned to sail, got married, and conceived our first, most miraculous little girl.

Now we reside in Omaha Nebraska, where we were blessed to be introduced to our redheaded, fiery, sweet, amazing daughter, Aurora Joy. Of all the adventures we have gone on, Parenthood has been our most favorite.

We have grown, we have changed, we have held hands as we embraced each season of life together. I could not imagine my life going any other way without him by my side. He's my best friend, my confidant, and my soul mate. Love doesn't accurately describe what we have-it's just so much more than that."

I actually met Ashley when we were little girls. Most of my summers growing up consisted of long lake days on Bankson Lake, in Porter Township of Lawton Michigan where my Grandpa lives. During one of the weekends there, mutual friends of Ashley's parents and my parents, also lake go-ers, introduced them. It was like a large lake extended family after that. All of us little ones would catch frogs, climb trees, swim, all the magical lake summer things kids do.

Though Ashley and I went to the same school for a short while, we never saw each other much. It would seem that Ashley has a special gift for knowing when to send Facebook messages because years later, she sent our photography page a message inquiring about wedding photography. Through Covid and life changes, it worked out better that we do an extended family session instead. As soon as we saw each other it felt like we were long-lost friends reconnected. 
Since that session, Ashley and I have chatted quite often and I'm so grateful the universe told her to send that message.

All this to say, sharing their love story is a gosh darn HUGE honor. Not only sharing their story but seeing it first hand, meeting Nic and his family; it's all such an incredible experience that I'll forever be thankful for.

Photography has allowed us to hear so many wonderful stories, see all kinds of love in abundance, connect and reconnect with amazing humans. I doubt I will ever be able to explain the amount of gratitude I have for this path.

Thank you for being here to share in this experience by reading their stories and for supporting GLP. ♥  

 

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