Stephen is from Albertville, AL the Fire Hydrant capital of the world!! I am from Atlanta, GA the home of Coca-Cola and Peaches! We met at Auburn University our Sophomore year.
Stephen was a Pre-Med major and I was a Pre-Pharmacy major. We met in our Organic Chemistry I class. We spent time studying for our first test together...thought we did great... both failed miserably... dropped the class and switched our majors. Gotta Love That! We both switched to Kinesiology, which was great because now we took all of our classes together!!
Besides our classes, we had an amazing time at auburn!! We had amazing friends that we miss so much now!! We spent time going to football games, eating out, playing frisbee golf, spending time at coffee shops, cooking out, going to spring break all together...it is a time that will never be replaced!!
While at auburn and going to school I babysat the best two little boys ever! Stephen would come over and help out. Parks and Wyatt LOVED stephen, and it was so great to see him with kids! It makes me so confident that he is going to be an amazing father! Cute story...when putting parks and wyatt down for nap or bedtime we wold sing Jesus Loves Me...we would put in our names and sing Jesus Loves Parks, etc. One night Wyatt goes... "Jesus Loves Stephen" It made me so happy!
Our Junior year of college two of our best friends got a dog...Wall-E...which made us start thinking...
Stephen and I are BIG Dog people, we would go to the Lee County Humane society to play with the dogs and puppies. Every time we walked out of there we contemplated buying a dog. Finally one day we found puppy named maggie who was a big ball of fluff! However after we had looked at our money and decided we would make it work, she had already been adopted. We didnt take this as a sign that we probably should not be buying a dog...why would we ever think that haha...so we started the search for our puppy! Finally we came across a shelter about an hour away from Auburn, and there we found Dakota...our baby!! She is the best dog anyone could ask for!
February 7, 2009 was an amazing day... it was a saturday evening, that weekend two of my closest friends Molly Webb and Courtney Thomas had come down from Tuscaloosa unexpectedly so I spent friday and saturday with them, giving stephen plenty of time alone...which was rare because ever since we had met we were literally always together! Saturday evening we were about to go to Starbucks for a cup of coffee...those of you who know me know that that is my favorite thing!! However, Stephen was driving the wrong way! In auburn we have a place called the Auburn Arboretum, which is a gorgeous little park with a creek and beautiful scenery all through out. When stephen pulled up to the front of the park, my heart dropped! I knew it was going to be soon because we had bought the ring, but i didnt know when it was going to get to auburn because it had to be shipped. We began walking into the arboretum and I saw an area covered in roses and tea lights candles everywhere around the creek and in the creek! It was breathtaking! As we took the long way around i began crying, reminding myself to remember every detail! Stephen had setup 5 beautiful frames each with a note from him. The first 4 had pictures from throughout our relationship, the last was a big frame that was empty, which he said was for all the memories to come! After I read all the notes and cried and cried, he brought me over to where he had a blanket laid out and got down on one knee! He talked with me for a little bit and then popped the question...after I had said YES...he asked if we could pray to start out this new part of our life!! It was an amazing night! Amanda and Jordan were the first to find out...bc they were there taking pictures, then we told Stephanie Secrest, then our parents!
In december of 2009 Stephen and I graduated from auburn with our BS in Kinesiology-Exercise Science, and began applying to OT schools in both Georgia and Alabama. Graduation day was nasty...it was rainy and cold...not to mention stephen and I had been sick for the 2 weeks before. But it was great to walk across the stage and get our diplomas!
We both moved home for the time between graduation and the wedding, which was about 3 months. It was the longest 3 months of our life!! But in February, we traveled to Guaimaca, Honduras to an amazing place called Orphanage Emanuel. God worked wonders in our hearts, we went thinking a great time to volunteer and left changed forever. God placed an amazing little boy in our lives. Brayan Rene Mendoza Ocampo. We decided that by not having starbucks coffee we would be able to support him. It was a major decision for us but has paid off more than we could have expected. I feel that when God calls you to do something you find impossible, yet you listen he will bless you in ways you never imagined.
After Orphanage Emmanuel we returned back home and began planning like crazy! Our Wedding day was the best day of our life! Our friends and family were amazing and made the day even better! Every detail was how we planned, and I would not trade it for anything! Marrying Stephen was the most amazing blessing God has given me and I cannot wait to see where our lives together go.
We spent our Honeymoon in Cancun!! Sadly however, it was a torrential down pour the entire time!! But we had an amazing time and wish everyday we could go back!
We moved to augusta as Mr. and Mrs. Freshwater, and have been enjoying our time there. Though we miss our friends dearly we have been blessed with a great small group who we love!! We cook dinner together and play games, and me and the girls have enjoyed re-doing furniture. We are so thankful that God has blessed us with a strong core group of friends in such a short time!!
I have been working as a nanny for two really great families and in only 2 short weeks we will be starting Occupational Therapy School! Marriage is amazing, and I could have never dreamed of a more perfect husband!! We are so thankful that the Lord has blessed us with such an amazing family and such amazing friends! We are truly blessed!
