*I'm not very good at putting my thoughts into words, so be warned!
I met Cory a couple months after my 19th birthday. His house was the party house. (Now it's our home.) I didn't party in high school, so I guess after I graduated was when I decided to get "crazy". Not too crazy though. I could drink tequila like water, and it's thanks to Jose Cuervo that I gave my number to Cory. Yay, for liquid courage! My first night at Cory's house was not ideal. I went with a group of guy friends and none of us really knew Cory. Long story short, one of my friends knocked something over and Cory kicked us out. LOL! A couple weekends later a couple girlfriends and I rented a hotel room so we could "party". Well no one showed up (lol again). I was trying to convince my cousin, who is friend's with Cory, to come drink with us. Somehow, we got persuaded to go to Cory's house. There was only a handful of people there. I was taking shots of tequila like nobody's business. At one point, some creep tried to trick me into taking more shots while Cory stood next to him. (So I like to tease Cory about being a creep and trying to get me drunk.) Anyways, I drank more than someone my size should and spent most of the night with Cory. I sat on Cory's lap (I've never done anything like that), I threw up, I cried, I gave Cory my number (never did that either), got carried to the car, and woke up on the bathroom floor in the hotel room. I called my Dad the next morning, because I still couldn't drive, and admitted I drank. Cory and I talked the next day and that's how our love story began!We are both shy people, which is why alcohol helped bring us together. We partied just about every weekend (remember this partying thing was still new to me, so I thought it was the greatest), but we had lots of alone time. I knew right away Cory was different from any other guy I had met. I knew he was special, but I was also young and dumb, so I wanted to party more than I wanted a serious relationship. We went through a lot of breaking up and making up over the next two years. It was never that I didn't want Cory, but that I wanted to be young and free for a little. I think it was better to have gone through that, then me settle down and wonder what I was "missing" years later. We had been through A LOT in those early years, and I knew that I never wanted to lose him again. I knew I didn't want to fall asleep next to or wake up with anyone but Cory for the rest of my life. We were completely ourselves around one another. Our bond was like something I had never experienced before.
When I was younger I didn't imagine having a baby and then getting married. (Life doesn't always go how you plan or how others think it should go.) However, I always knew I wanted to get married, have a family, and help people. When we found out I was pregnant we were excited and nervous of course. I wasn't nervous about what we'd do, but about what others would think. It shouldn't have bothered me, but I knew how people thought of young couples having babies out of wedlock. (Which is part of the reason I'm writing this blog.) Our parents were accepting of the situation. My mom was so supportive of us. She's always loved Cory! One of the first things people would ask when they found out I was pregnant was, "when are you getting married?". We always knew we'd get married, but we weren't going to rush into just because I was pregnant.
Our relationship really grew throughout my pregnancy and Pearl's birth. If you know my labor/Pearl's birth story then you know it wasn't easy. I couldn't have asked for a better partner to be by my side through it all. I always knew Cory would be an amazing Dad. There's something about seeing the man you love, love your child though. I saw him in a whole new light. I'm a little bit grateful for Pearl's first week of life in the NICU. Of course we had lots of support, but most importantly we had each other when everyone else was gone. We grew so much that week as a couple and as parents. A few months later we officially got engaged, and six months after that we got married.
Now, here we are a year and a half after Pearl's birth, expecting a baby boy in May. I couldn't be any happier with how our life is right now. We're human, so not every day is perfect. However, we want this to work and we know that. Plus, most days are great. We got married for a reason. Yes, we're still young, but if you want something bad enough then you make it work. I am so blessed to be going through all of these experiences with Cory (another reason I wanted to write this).I look forward to our future and continuing to grow.
There might be a part II to this. I forgot half of the things I wanted to say. I hope you get the point though! Don't judge me on my grammar or spelling :)
Also, our computer is down right now, so I don't have many photo options.
