The Story of Us

I figured it didn't make a lot of sense to jump right into life today without sharing a little bit about how we got here. So, if you're interested in sappy love stories, keep reading! If you aren't a romantic, feel free to scroll on and we'll catch up with you later.

Tyler and I met in college. We were both in the music department with hopes of eventually working in music ministry. We met through a mutual friend, although Tyler insists that we met at a concert earlier in the year ( I totally don't remember that, but we'll let him hang onto his idea of our first meeting ;)

When we met, I was interested in someone else, but Tyler was immediately head over heels for me. Unfortunately for him, I couldn't get past the long hair and beanie (I would include a photo, but I think he might kill me...) He likes to say that the day he met me he knew he was going to marry me, but do we really have proof? We quickly became the best of friends, though generally only hanging out at school and helping each other with assignments. That changed when I invited him to come play bass at church after our bassist dropped out last second. We then began spending time together outside of school, going out to eat, and joining friends on random outings. Still, I didn't think of him as anything more than a friend. But poor Tyler fell more and more in love with me every day.

Eventually, he worked up the nerve to tell me he liked me and ask me on a date. But I turned him down. I didn't want to ruin our friendship (and I certainly didn't want to lose my only help on those darn recording assignments!) He was hurt (understandably) so he shut me out of his life for a time. I couldn't blame him, but it also hurt me too. This was exactly what I didn't want to happen!

I finally told him he was being stupid, and that real friends don't shut people out just because they didn't get what they wanted. So, he came around and we were friends again.

I think we both remember the moment when I actually noticed him as more than just my college classmate and study buddy. He walked into our music theory class one morning and was literally a completely different person - short hair, thinned out from playing lots of frisbee, and tan from time in the sun. But alas, I still wasn't falling for him.

As the Spring semester came to an end, we continued to get to know each other and planned to spend the summer doing things like camp, church activities, movies, and more. All of our friends and family were pushing us to get together. And I even remember telling my sister that he was exactly the kind of man I wanted to marry, but I was afraid he just wasn't my type (does that make any sense at all?!) To be honest, I was afraid. I was afraid of losing someone I cared about if things didn't work out. I was afraid of commitment and to take such a huge step in life. I was afraid of loving deeply and having my heart broken. And to be quite honest, I don't think I ever truly "fell" in love. But I also think that is why our relationship is as strong as it is today. I didn't fall in love with Tyler, but I chose to love him. I recognized that his character was true, and his heart was pure. I loved that he was positive and knew how to calm me down when I was stressed. And I loved how he made me laugh - and I wanted to laugh with him for the rest of my life. I realized that I would rather be married to my best friend, than search my whole life for this image I had created in my mind of what my future husband would look like.

And on the other hand, though he was head over heels for me, he still chose me. He chose to fight for me when I turned him down. He chose to love and serve me, even when I hurt him. He pursued me, and told me that I was worth it all. He showed me unconditional love that I didn't deserve. On September 23, 2014, Tyler asked me out again, and I said yes. Dating my best friend was better than I could have imagined. Within two weeks we said "I love you." Five months later we were engaged, and eight months after that, we were married.

Here we are, almost to our fourth anniversary, with an almost two-year old daughter, and choosing to love each other more each day.

I hope you enjoyed a little peek into our story. Life is such an adventure. I pray you're able to experience it with the ones you love.

- Kailey