Alan and I met in February of 2012. We probably alarmed all our family members with how quickly we fell in love. We instantly became best friends and just enjoyed talking for hours and hours. When I first visited Alan's tiny one bedroom apartment he did not have a living room. I mean, there was a room that was meant to be a living room, but instead of a couch there was a workbench and a small woodshop. Complete with wood shavings on the carpeted floor. I thought this was odd, of course, but I quickly understood why. Alan lit up and was excited to show me what he was working on. I could tell that this was his peace and what he loved most. Working with his hands was clearly his passion.
The years flew by, as they do, and we married on November 5th, 2017. It was a beautiful fall day.
We went on our Honeymoon to the Smoky Mountain Mountains, a place we had both traveled to growing up. We had a great time eating good food and exploring the off the beaten path areas. We stumbled upon the Arts & Crafts Loop in Gatlinburg and spent two days of our 4 day trip meeting all kinds of crafts people and artists. We were so excited to see that people were actually able to share their creativity with folks from all over while doing what they were called to do. It was inspiring and exciting for us to see that there were possibilities out there. And of course, the beauty of nature spoke to our souls as well. We both love the mountains. Alan saw himself in the people he met and a quiet thought began growing in both of our heads; What if we could do this? Maybe some day?
