Our Dating Story

Our Dating Story

the night we met. we went to a bar with friends celebrating our birthdays with shots.

I wanted to share some highlights from our story with y'all so first - our dating story. I shared some on my introduction about how we met. We started dating about three months after we met and dated for just under three years before we got married. Our individual stories leading up to when we started dating are full of very similar timings (started dating other people around the same time, dated them for similar lengths of time, broke up around the same time, etc.) that I see how God was bringing our stories together. 

it's not official till you snapchat your friends

When we met it Sam had just moved in with his sister and brother-in-law (Rose and Chris) in Hampden, the same area of the city where I had just signed a lease with friends! Even that coincidence was crazy and such a blessing. We started dating in the beginning of September 2013.

the Virginia welcome center on our way to Thanksgiving

Sam is from Mississippi and he spent our first Thanksgiving together with my family and I. This was a big deal for me because Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday and our biggest tradition where we always get together with my Dad's whole family in Virginia. I had told my family before that I would only bring someone with me if we were engaged... so I guess i was making a statement by bringing him there (we didn't get engaged for another two years haha)! I am pretty sure we talked about marriage and said "I love you" within the first month. This was very exciting but also made it hard for me to wait two years to get engaged!

Brant is such a baby! || our families meeting for the first time!

I spent a lot of time with Rose and Chris (I wish we were still neighbors so badly) but I didn't meet the rest of Sam's family till our first Valentine's Day. His mom (Ms. Susie), brother, sister-in-law (Ike and Brandy), nephew (Brant) and nephew-to-be (Spence - I can't believe he wasn't even born at this point) all came to Baltimore for a long weekend. Y'all I was sooo nervous to meet them!

visiting Old Waverly

That summer we spent a week in Mississippi where I met his Dad and a lot of his friends (again I was nervous). I loved exploring his town of Columbus, spending lots of quality time with his family and seeing Mississippi State (it is very similar to Virginia Tech which is also so cool). 

my favorite photo of us at a friend's wedding credit Autumn Kern

Another reason I am so thankful for God's timing - friends' weddings! Sam has been my wedding date to many a wedding. We started dating two months before my best friend and future Maid of Honor's wedding. I was so thankful to have him there with me not only to meet all my friends but after going through a bad breakup I was so thankful to have a loving, handsome date by my side for all those events.

We have always been blessed by living near each other (I know I'm spoiled). We both lived in Hampden a year, then we moved a lived apart for a month or two but during some of that time Sam moved in with my parents and I, then he moved to Columbia with a co-worker and I followed him soon after with a friend.

Highlights from our dating years - 

- Lots of visits to the beach, staying at my parents' condo

- Andrews family vacation to Gatlinburg

- Seeing my family's growing love of Sam (and learning how much they all have in common!)

- Running lots of half marathons together

- Ski weekend with friends

- Cheering on our teams at football games

- Dates :) (Birroteca and Golden West were our most frequent)

How long did you date your husband or have you been dating your boyfriend?