Brunch in the Garden 

We're gettin' hitched!

The Wedding is Back On!

Our Wedding

Our Journey

Character Introductions

Laurel is a beautiful, aspiring wildlife biologist. She has gorgeous hazel eyes and a paralyzing smile, her beautiful brown hair hangs to her shoulders, her green rimmed glasses perched positively upon her nose, and her dainty ears pierced with the finest of jewels. She began her adult life traveling across the countryside taking temporary wildlife positions to further her knowledge. She’s been nearly everywhere, over the hills, through the desert, over the rivers and up the mountains, but never to a place her heart called home… at least not yet. She loves the outdoors, strolling through the forests, catching fish and tracking the creatures of the forest for hunting or sometimes just to view their beauty. Oftentimes she finds herself camping with her camera to capture those beautiful moments in time. Now she has found a new interest in gaming with Jordan. We enjoy playing Xbox together, and building worlds within our world together. She’s still new to playing games and world building, but it's been a great way for us to connect even when she's away on her own adventures.She has a gentle and caring nature, often nurturing the family plants back to life in her plant sanctuary or bringing new ones home to keep the other’s comfy.

Who is Laurel?

Jordan is a sultry blue collar man whose work is the very foundation of this country. As a welder his craft melds together hunks of metal to form useful tools to support our local agricultural production. His strong brow and rich brown eyes have been enticing since the first date and have kept Laurel’s attention ever since. His thick curls are often pushed back by his strong hands which he has developed over the years honing his skills as a welder.&nbsp;When he’s not working he spends most of his off time gaming; creating and building in online worlds. The marvels he creates online never cease to amaze Laurel with his skill and creativity. When he isn’t playing games, Jordan has a passion for studying history and has spent time researching war and military, studying strategy and weapons from countries all over the world. This passion has extended to the present and he has curated an impressive collection of guns, both historical and modern. He greatly enjoys the outdoors, taking Laurel on camping trips both near and far, with strolls through the woods on his family’s farm in between.&nbsp;

Who is Jordan?

Our story begins in the Tenth month of Two Thousand Twenty. The wedding bells were ringing but not for us. The marriage of Teri Lee and Houston, began our path. Laurel, being the Maid of Honor, and Jordan being Best Man, met that day for the very first time. We did not know what our future would be at that time, only passing friendly glances and smiles… Six months later, in April of Two Thousand and Twenty One, we had another fateful rendezvous. Laurel has returned from one of her biological endeavors and Teri Lee has planned an adventure for us; little did we know what she was scheming. One afternoon in this sunny weekend, the four of us went on a small adventure into the forest on the Borders family farm, Laurel taught us about mushrooms and the chirping birds formed an orchestra to complement her opus of knowledge. Teri Lee watched on as we bonded with trepid excitement, clutching Houston’s hand and giggling softly. The next day we all made the journey to Mammoth Cave National Park, the longest cave in the world, and spent the afternoon there exploring. Though we did not explore the cave in its entirety, we made some life changing memories wandering the dark and damp depths of the beautiful Kentucky cavern.

Starting a new job in Indiana, in August of Two Thousand and Twenty Two, Laurel stops for brunch and elevensies with Teri Lee and Houston.&nbsp;Teri Lee, with her continued and vibrant scheming, asked if Jordan could join them for the delightful occasion. Laurel said yes and we enjoyed each other’s company, laughing and telling stories. Teri Lee’s plan has finally begun to come together, as we exchanged phone numbers. For now it was time for Laurel to go on to the land of Indiana, but this time, with a new acquaintance…. As the leaves turned and fell from the trees, we grew ever closer to this very moment, mostly sharing pictures of what we had been doing at our jobs.. Jordan had been working the night shift for a while and Laurel had switched to a semi nocturnal shift for her job as well, at least for a few months. He was excited to have someone to commiserate about the nighttime shift while she ran around pulling quail from traps until the wee hours of the morning. Teri Lee (having found out we shared numbers) spent the last few months on and off suggesting and teasing that Laurel should give Jordan a chance and go on date with him, her toils began to flower. She believed we would click together well with our common interests and personalities. Laurel hadn’t had an interest in dating since college. She was too busy and moved too much and didn’t want to drag someone through the stress of what she’d been doing the last five years. Eventually Laurel bends to the unending will of Teri Lee’s plan.Teri Lee wanted Laurel to come visit and go to dinner at this fancy restaurant saying Jordan could be Laurel’s date. Laurel firmly stated "No, you two can go on a date, Jordan and I can join not on a date.” We jokingly called it a ‘date not date’. Laurel was adamant Jordan and her were not going on a date together, after all, she didn’t want to lead him on…

On the Seventeenth Day, in the Twelfth Month of Two Thousand Twenty Two, the infamous “Date not Date” is here. Laurel has driven down from the faraway lands of&nbsp; Indiana for the weekend. We headed to a small Italian restaurant, Ariella’s, in the next town over. We all get in the car together, the dress, semi formal. Laurel wears a cute brown skirt and a maroon knit sweater, Jordan, his favorite yellow shirt and some khakis, Houston and Teri Lee in their respective semi formal attire. We have nervous and playful banter on the way there, Laurel’s eyes sparkling in the moonlight. We arrived at the restaurant and ordered drinks and appetizers to start the evening.The food was good, the company was amazing, the smiles and laughter filling the restaurant.&nbsp; As we finish dinner, we snap a photo to memorialize the occasion of our “Date not Date”. Afterwards, we went back to Teri Lee and Houston’s to play some games and hang out for a bit. We teamed up for a couple of games against Teri Lee and Houston and had amazing chemistry together. His confidence and personality had won her over and it had only been one night. We wound up dozing off on the couch, Teri Lee snapping photos and giggling as we snuggled sweetly. We all hang out again the next day and have an equally great time. Teri Lee can hardly hide her excited grins and giggles while we mesh together over the weekend.&nbsp;

It Begins:

Over the next couple of months, work slowed down forn Laurel and her weekend perfectly coincided with Jordan’s, so she would make the drive down every weekend to visit everyone. We went on our first camping trip together with Teri Lee and Cory; setting up hammocks in the woods behind Cory’s house. We continue to grow closer, eventually going to meet Laurel’s parents in Tennessee.&nbsp; In the Third Month of Two Thousand Twenty Three Laurel started trapping season again, working every night and lamented that we did not get to spend the month with each other. This is where video games start to become our mode of communication. Jordan had just started a new game that was also available on the computer and easy enough to play. We spent many evenings playing this game together, knowing it meant a lot to him that we got to talk but also do one of his favorite things together. It definitely helped us get through the month.&nbsp; In the summer of Two Thousand Twenty Three Laurel spent most of her time helping her mom and dad prepare for her mom’s Daylily Convention that summer, but was still able to spend many weekends with Jordan enjoying many of their new found interests together. .

In the Fall of Two Thousand Twenty Three, and on into the winter, Laurel started a job with Kentucky Dept. of Fish and Wildlife and was able to dedicate more time to Jordan, adding many more adventures to our story. We went camping several more times behind Cory’s place and took a trip down to the Sipsey Wilderness Area in Bankhead National Forest. This was Laurel’s first overnight backpacking trip, Jordan having been several times already. We celebrated our one year anniversary together under the canopy of the forest, and really began seriously talking about marriage. Laurel continued working for KDFWR, spending most of her time in eastern Kentucky working on prescribed burns. Jordan was able to get off of night shift and back onto days which greatly improved his life and our time together. Shortly after, he started a new job closer to home.

The Engagement

In May of Two Thousand Twenty Four we had solar storms lighting up the night sky across America. We decided to get away from the town lights and head out to Teri Lee and Houston's house to watch the sky. We grabbed a bunch of pillows and blankets so we could lay in the bed of his truck to watch the sky. We laid out there for a few hours hanging out and watching the red haze dance subtlety across the sky. Laurel asked several times if Jordan was ready to go but he put her off saying he was waiting for something to happen. She thought he was waiting for the sky to light up again since the auroras had been pretty subtle so far. Eventually it got late and we decided to head home. As we’re picking up the blankets and pillows Jordan says “hey look at this rock I found in the bed of the truck.” Laurel, greatly confused asks where he found said rock, since she had cleaned out the bed of the truck earlier. He insists that she look at it, handing it to her and shining his flashlight light on it. It’s this smooth round rock with the words “Will you?” scrawled on it. Laurel, still confused at this point, studies the rock intently trying to figure out its meaning, the light shifts and she finally sees a yellow circle drawn above it with a little rhinestone glued to the top of the circle. It finally clicks, he was asking her to marry him! Laurel whipped her head around to kiss Jordan. He laughed and asked if that was a yes. She gleefully replied “Absolutely!”

That brings us up to now. Laurel has been looking for full-time work in Kentucky, Jordan is settling into his new job and life is coming together. We have two adorable dogs, Rosco and Marci, who join us on our adventures and keep life interesting.&nbsp;

The Present: 

Our Story

Photos

Bethany

Cory Abbott

William "Red" Stratton

Girl I met in the Louisiana bayous and decided to keep, very fun, 11/10 would recommend

Sara

Classic girl-next-door, been besties since the 6th grade

Abby

Wedding Party

Q + A

Near Weissinger Hills Golf CourseMake yourself at home in one of the 81 air-conditioned rooms featuring refrigerators and microwaves. Your pillowtop bed comes with premium bedding. Flat-screen televisions with cable programming provide entertainment, while complimentary wireless internet access keeps you connected. Bathrooms have shower/tub combinations and hair dryers.Located in Shelbyville, Holi

Laurel & Jordan

Laurel & Jordan

Do we love each other?

Do we like each other?

Are you guys awesome together?

Where is the wedding?

You said gardens?

What should I wear?

What's for Dinner?

Do we have a registry?

Can we bring our kids?

I have more questions, who should I contact?