We first met each other on the marching band bus to a football game. We both thought each other was very cute. Kelly was 15 and Kalebh was 17. We got to know each other a little bit and made googly eyes at one another.
We had already dated for a few months beforehand, broke up, but could not stand to be separated anymore. Kelly was 16 and Kalebh was 18. We started things slow and got to know each other's families and more about what each other like and dislike and our hopes and dreams.
WOW! A lot happened during this time. The biggest change was Kalebh graduating high school the month before and transitioning to online school. Kelly was still in high school and Kalebh always came to football games and dance recitals to support her.
This was another transition as Kelly began looking for colleges and Kalebh continued working and doing college online. Kelly visited Liberty University and immediately knew she wanted to attend. The only thing was, it was 6 hours away from where Kalebh lived. This seemed like the end of the world to us, but we knew we will love each other to the very end.
This was a major adjustment year for both of us. Kelly went off to college in Virginia as Kalebh stayed home and worked in Pittsburgh. Both of us struggled to find a new life and identity without the other person. It was painful, but we each grew in our relationship with God at that time, since we had to stop relying on the other person to fill the void in our life. As much as we both hated this year, looking back, this is where we really grew the most.
This is where and when our relationship was really tested. We embarked on a five-day camping trip with minimal camping supplies and volunteered at a Christian music festival. We suffered being wet, cold, smelly, and hungry the whole time. However, this brought us closer to each other, as we did not go with anyone else we knew. We got to see each other serve the Lord, suffer physically and emotionally, and jump for joy when our favorite band went on stage. One time in particular that Kelly knew she wanted to marry Kalebh on this trip was when she had to go to the bathroom at night (a few times a night actually) and every time, Kalebh woke up, walked in the cold, and stood outside the bathroom waiting for her. This showed Kelly how loving and kind Kalebh really is. She could not imagine living life with anyone else.
During this time, Kelly was still at school, Kalebh finished up his music degree, and we still struggled a lot. There was a lot of problems that came up that we did not know how to deal with. We went to couples counseling and learned how our emotions affected each other. We also got to have fun dates like going to Pittsburgh during Christmas time and Erie for our anniversary.
During this year, Kalebh stepped up and got a job at BNY Mellon to make money for his future family (him and Kelly) and Kelly continued school at Liberty. Increased money meant that Kalebh could come see Kelly at school more often, which really helped our relationship. Long-distance was getting annoying at this point, but we could see an end in sight!
This day started as any other day trip to Erie, Kelly feeling sick, singing in the car, and a joyful spirit. We went to the Erie zoo, where we had gone with some friends a few years ago. After looking at the animals, we went to get a picnic lunch and proceeded to Presque Isle to have a picnic on the beach. Then, we drove to a lighthouse, where we went every time we went up to Erie. Kalebh got down on one knee and asked Kelly to marry him, and she said "Yes". Both of us were very emotional, as we knew this was coming someday and we had always envisioned it in our heads, but is was now here. We went around that day, took pictures with a photographer, and had a fancy Italian dinner. We had been struggling for some time, but this made all of the suffering worth it!