In December of 2016 Blake and I both swiped right and from that moment on- everything changed.
That's right, we met on tinder!
After swiping right and messaging a couple of times we lost contact for a few weeks but managed to befriend each other on other social media platforms like snapchat. On January 7, 2017 I was supposed to go to one of my best friend's party and I had an entire group of girls coming with me. Slowly, one by one, the texts came in explaining why they wouldn't be able to make it and eventually I was left to go to this party alone but Blake came to the rescue! He went to the party with me but only after FaceTiming me to make sure I actually looked like my pictures! haha!
Immediately we hit it off and he asked me to be his girlfriend that same night! I woke up the next morning expecting the "we moved to fast" or "let's slow things down" message but it never came. We were inseparable from the beginning and just six months later we moved in together. I was nervous for this big step and always envisioned that I wouldn't live with a man until I was married but it just felt right so we went for it! In those first months of living together we went through many ups and downs getting to know each other better and getting acquainted to living with one another.
By November of 2017 the downs felt like that's all there was and we had had enough. We had grown to become very toxic to one another and all we did was fight....over stupid shit. I moved back home with my parents and was completely heart broken. Yet, we could not stay away from each other. We continued to talk all of the time for the next couple of weeks and by Christmas we decided to come back together and work on our relationship. I think in the time that we had "broken up" we only managed to go one day without talking to each other.
About a month later I realized that my period was late and that I needed to take a pregnancy test. The first one I took had a faint positive line and so I tried to convince myself that it was a false positive...ha! After taking a second test I was sure-
I was pregnant. I was terrified but also so happy. My dream has always been to be a momma and carry my own baby but that dream became a nightmare when less than two weeks later... I had a miscarriage. My heart was shattered.
Walking through that trauma together really tested our relationship especially with our loss happening right after reconnecting. I had such a hard time and leaned on Blake so much during this time and he was so steady, he was my rock. I honestly don't know how I would have survived this time without him there to support me.
Shortly after this we adopted our puppy Misty Actual and her crazy personality fit in perfectly with us and our crazy story. We went through 2018 determined to live each day with adventure. We bought a bronco and went 4 wheeling every chance we got. We went camping and hunting and fishing. We hung out with friends that grew into family and cherished each moment with them. We embraced every opportunity for an adventure, big or small.
On December 13, 2018 my period was officially two weeks late again and I just knew before even taking a test... I was pregnant again. (Our prevention methods were clearly nonexistent! haha!) This time around we were in such a better place and I was so dang excited but also terrified that we would walk through another loss. Thank God, that wasn't the case.
On Christmas Eve Blake and I decided to go for an adventure and packed up into his truck and started driving. We had no destination in mind, just an empty day to fill. Big Bear, CA is where we ended up and on this drive we discussed all of the things. How our lives were about to change with a baby, our goals and aspirations, and the plans for our future. We debated possibly doing a courthouse wedding or planning a wedding before the baby or waiting until after our baby arrived. I remember being so emotional and overwhelmed with the options (hello, pregnancy hormones!) Eventually our drive ended us up in Hannah flats and we decided to go for a quick walk through nature- MY FAVORITE THING!
We walked up to this rock outcropping with an incredible view and snow on the ground. When I turned around I saw Blake down on one knee with a ring and he asked me to be his wife!! Of course I said YES and grabbed that ring out of his hand so fast he didn't even have a chance to put it on my finger himself. Little did I know he had the ring picked out and ready before we even got pregnant and he let me freak out about the marriage options knowing he had a ring in his pocket! haha!
We decided to focus on the pregnancy and plan our wedding afterwards but I was so excited to be mrs. clark!
Luckily I had an amazing pregnancy with very little complaints. The crazy pregnancy hormones were interesting to navigate and caused a lot of tears and break downs but what can I say...its pregnancy! We found out we were having a boy as soon as we could know the sex and decided on his name almost instantly.
My labor with our son was 32 hours long and Blake was the best labor partner. He showed up in ways that I knew he would but also ways that I didn't know I would need and I love him for it all.
On August 10, 2019 at 4:11am we met our son, Wesson James Clark. My heart was so full and my dream had come true.
Since Wesson's birth, Blake and I have navigated new parent life and everything that comes with it. I've been walking through postpartum depression and Blake has done everything that he could to help me through this time and I'm forever thankful for his partnership. Despite the ups and downs that our relationship has endured, despite the exhaustion and emotions from being new parents, and despite the stresses that come with life, we've never been stronger. I firmly believe that we had to walk through all of the craziness to really get to where we are now. If we didn't walk through it we wouldn't know each other the way that we do, we wouldn't know how determined we each are to make our family a priority and fight for our forever.
I am so excited for the journey that we're continuing on and I cannot wait to share more of it with you all!