Our Story

Our Story

Here is the extremely abbreviated version of how our family came to be!

On a hot summer morning in May 2006, I received the most wonderful blessing of my life, Callie Elizabeth.

The pregnancy had been a difficult one and I was ready to venture out into the world of single parenting. I had no idea the amount of love that would explode from my heart the moment I saw her face. My world was changed forever.

Here she is 2 days old. (Yes, she had a TON of hair).

The next few years, I poured myself into motherhood. Throughout my pregnancy, people only told me how tired I was going to be and how I would be looking foward to coming back to work....they were wrong. My heart literally broke at the thought of leaving her and so to make a long story REALLY short- I didn't. I had a few (as in 2) college credits and decided to start back to school. Nothing has ever felt so natural to me as being a mother. I loved it. I went to school at my own pace because I felt such strong convictions about my time with Callie. My mom was instrumental in making this possible for me. I spent the next 4 years doing a lot of this...

During this time, I would be lying if I said I didn't have a strong desire to get married. All of my freinds had families and I wanted that. But it was a time where Jesus said, "Wait." I'm not good at waiting but I did.  Long talks with my best friend, spoke into my heart what my conversations with Jesus had already said...that He had a plan for me and it will be worth it to wait. During this time, the Lord did so much in my heart. He gave me a stability and security in Him that I had always needed. He gave me a pure desire to follow Him that was more fufilling than anything I had ever known. As an added bonus ( I've learned these are always there when you obey Jesus) he put a passion in my heart to assist other single parents and encourage them along their way.

SO, when I went on my first date with Matt (which wasn't a date..just a dinner to catch up with an old friend), I wasn't at all looking for a husband. Callie and I had and established life and "groove" and were blissfully happy. My first date with Matt was at Texas Roadhouse. He was teaching at a community college in Kentucky. I had known Matt since I was 15 and never thought about him as anything more than a friend. We had talked about getting together for some time but just as friends. After our dinner, he asked me to sew a button on his peacoat (true story) and that he happened to be coming back in the next weekend. After our second date (and a forgotten peacoat) I knew I liked him...but liking someone was uncomfortable for me. That feeling threatened my safe little place I had made...and this was a good thing.   After our second date, we talked every day. I fell in love with him so quickly and it was so out of my control ( I have control issues).  I prayed that if this was not God's will, it would end or remain a friendship. God reassured me that He would never let my heart be broken if it was with Him. We grew together in our faith and in friendship.



 I was nervous about Callie and Matt meeting because I didn't know how she would react. Needless to say, she loved him. The first time they met, we went to Thanksgiving dinner at my childhood best friend's home...which is amazing. I looked out the window and Callie grabbed Matt's hand and was cracking up laughing. I took a picture of that day:)

In April of 2011, Matthew proposed and Callie helped:) It was a really exciting day.

After our engagement, we began planning the move to Kentucky. It was a HUGE decision because all of my, Callie, and Matt's family live in Tennessee. We prayed that God would provide along the way to help everyone adjust. And He did....over and over- from our home to work to school and beyond. We got married on December 10,2011 and Callie was my maid of honor.







Two days after I graduated college...

We moved to Kentucky!

And here we are:)