I never truly understood the phrase "right person, wrong time" until it happened to me. I have known Austin for many years. He has been good friends with my brother since high school & was around somewhat often. Of course I developed a crush, but never really had an opportunity to act on it. Thus, we each went on with our lives that were going in different directions.

Fast forward, years later, I suddenly get a friend request from Austin at the most insane time of my life. I felt butterflies in the pit of my stomach, wondering "why now?" I debated accepting his request at the time, but decided to trust my gut and I went for it. I thought to myself, "Why not, what could possibly happen from being friends online ?!"

We immediately started talking to each other and chatting about all kinds of things through our phones. I quickly found out that he was really fun and easy to talk to. I started getting to actually know him. I genuinely looked forward to hearing from him each day. As we started to connect more, Austin insisted that he tell my brother that he wants to take me on a date. I was absolutely mortified and begged him to let it go. I tried to convince him that Josh's opinion did not matter. Austin insisted that he needed to "do right" by Josh, (my brother), and then had a long conversation with him. To my surprise, Josh was very supportive of the idea and gave me so much reassurance. He actually seemed excited and talked about how great Austin is, and how amazing his family is as well. I was so taken back by his reaction that I hardly said anything, but sat there with a smile, spanning ear to ear.

Our first date was at Sabatinis, and this was my first time seeing Austin in years. I remember arriving there first and waiting in my car (this is comical to me now because if you know Austin, you know that he is late to everything). I saw him pull into the parking lot & I was so nervous that I immediately wanted to duck down and hide. But, I took a deep breath and calmly got out of my car to meet him near his truck. As calm as I thought I was, I knew immediately that my cheeks were tomato red & I couldn't stop giggling. Our date was perfect and we both didn't want the night to end.

As we continued to date, things kept happening so fast. We knew how serious this relationship was from the moment we started talking. I knew he was the one & he knew that I was the one. After dating for about one year, we moved into our first apartment together. The day after we moved in, I found out that I was pregnant. We were so shocked, but we were honestly so happy. Once Bennett was born, our lives completely changed. We somehow grew even closer and learned how to navigate parenthood side by side. I knew from day one, that Austin would be my dream husband. However, watching him become a dad, made me even more confident in my decision. It's not too often that you find such a hands-on, nurturing father. He truly is one in a million. Bennett was born on April 12, 2023. We knew one day we would expand our family and give Bennett a sibling. Well, as fate would have it, I got pregnant again when he was only 5 months old. With a second baby on the way, we were losing our "first time parent" confidence. Surely we could handle anything thrown at us. We never saw this second baby as a mistake, just another small detour along the way. Bellami was born on June 8, 2024. She really tried to give us a run for our money. Alas, we are staying afloat with 2 babies under 2 years old. We are so beyond blessed for our family of 4, traditional or not, we are going to be wed and our family will soon share one last name.

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