Have you ever heard of the butterfly effect? It’s said that one flap of a butterfly’s wing can cause a string of events that could eventually lead to a hurricane. There is no better way to describe our story than “the butterfly effect”.

Most of you know, Aleeya was born with Cystic Fibrosis. Although Chad and Mandy strove to give her as normal of a life as possible, there were still some things that just couldn’t be avoided. When Aleeya was young, she wanted to be a veterinarian. When she reached the age of having the ability to choose a career pathway, her first pick was animal science. However, it was determined that given the substances she would be exposed to, this wasn’t a smart class to attend. After several options of choosing and failing, she finally fell upon cosmetology. Here is where Aleeya claims the “butterfly effect” starts.

During her time in beauty school, she met a boy, and through that boy, she would meet another girl. Jesse’s part in this story starts when years later he himself would also meet this girl. Both Aleeya and Jesse found themselves at low points after these relationships diminished. However, neither of them expected what was to come in the following months after…

Aleeya was closed off, but Jesse was persistent. And as time went on, Aleeya began to see that Jesse was putting a LOT of effort into supporting her goals even from a “friend” standpoint. While admitted into the hospital for over a MONTH LONG stay at U of M hospital, Jesse did research on different health complications that Aleeya was dealing with and offered several ideas (some being holistic pathways she was interested in trying). He was there as someone to talk to when the 4 walls of a hospital room felt smaller than they ever had before. It was there that she finally decided to agree to let him take her on a date… but she didn’t let him in on that information until a few weeks later after she was recouped and resettled in back home from that long hospital stay.

In December of 2020, they finally spent their first quality time together… and the rest is history. Jesse fully captured Aleeya’s heart when he took her to the farm he worked at and let her love on the cows, then took her to the local QD for some DELICIOUS hot chocolate, and drove around looking at the Christmas lights around Fowler and singing Christmas carols on the radio. Jesse claims he was in disbelief that he was successful in his efforts, but through the years he has proven time and time again that he will go to extreme lengths for the woman he loves. Aleeya, too, has spent countless hours striving to be the kind of wife Jesse will be proud to call his own… and now we are finally reaching that special day.

Since that fateful December, many, many big things have happened in their lives. A year later, they welcomed their first son, Rowen, and just 2 weeks later moved cross-country to Florida where Jesse obtained his current job as an Elevator Mechanic Apprentice. In February the following year, Jesse chose to follow Jesus and was baptized in the name of the Father, the Son, and Holy Spirit. This was a true turning point in their relationship for the better. The following spring, they moved back home to Michigan where they plan to stay for good. The following October, they would rent their first home together, and just a week after moving in they found out they were pregnant with their second son, Arthur. He made his way into the world 10 weeks early in April of 2024, and in November of that same year, they purchased their lovely home. Today Aleeya spends her days as a home maker, and Jesse continues to work hard in his apprenticeship to provide for the family. They acknowledge the importance of each other’s hard work and dedication to making every day run as smooth as possible, and here is where they plan to spend the rest of their lives growing together, shaping one another, and righting their wrongs as one. With God as their foundation, they know nothing can break them apart.