our love story..

I met Caden in junior high.. That's right. In the halls of centerville junior high. We were friends all through junior high and high school. Caden was best friends with a boy who was dating my cousin. So seeing as he spent all of his time with his friend and I spent all of my time with my cousin..we spent a lot of time together, we became really good friends. We went on several double dates, a trip with the salmon family to the ranch, and meeting up with each other in st. George. (Of which we went and watched the sunrise on Dixie rock...at 5 am!!?? Not to mention it was freezing and windy..and who knows what I looked like..I was not jazzed about it! Who wakes up that early for their cousin to go up there with their boyfriend?? I did. And so naturally me and Caden went along with them). We had a lot of fun together. We laughed way too much and we probably cuddled more than an actual couple does. I think for both of us being with each other so often and being just "friends" we got to really know each other. Caden saw me at my worst! I always either wore sweats or my glasses.. And there is nothing attractive about that! But we knew a lot about each other that many people we were actually "dating" didn't know. As time went on our excuse for being together decided to break up.. we then started to spend less time with each other. We went on a few dates here and there...He had a girlfriend our senior year {maybe two or three ;)} and we began to hardly talk anymore. Awkward passes in the hall.. And let's be honest..I was a hermit our senior year. I went from class to class and I had my internship with my uncle working as a dental assistant that took up a majority of my class periods. So I never.. And I mean never was at school where we usually saw each other. 

I got pregnant right after high school {which is a post of its own} and Caden went on a mission... I was really good friends with his friend Mae-Lynn and near the middle of Caden's mission I had asked her how he was and so forth. He had about 10 months left and I finally got the courage to write him a letter.. That I wrote..and re wrote. I thought for sure he was either going to think I was crazy for writing him or didn't remember or have a clue who I was.. He replied and was shocked!!! We hadn't talked for 2 years+ and our letters seemed as if we never stopped talking. We talked a lot about the gospel and about how we were such different people now and about how much we had learned through our hardships and experiences. It was never about high school or about this and that or about the worldly things that neither of us cared about. Of course he still wrote with charm and humor like the Caden I always knew. And just like that I was smitten all over again. Yep I'm not afraid to admit it! We wrote here and there till he came home on December 31st. It had been almost a week since he had been home. I still hadn't heard from him...?? I thought what the HELL?? Hahha I know he's best friends with Mae, who is my best friend, who has my number! Why hasn't he called? I knew he had a phone...Whatever. I was over it. ding ding. My phone goes off I go over look at it.. It's a number I didn't have.. I about shized my pants. Finally! That night we talked on the phone.. For forever. Then the next night the same thing. Then the next night the same. Finally he asked to come see me. He came over on a Friday night. I was so nervous! My stomach was in knots. The door bell rang and there he was.. All handsome...and there I was..with snot on my shoulder and an almost two year old hanging off my leg. Attractive right?? {I'm surprised he ever came back or stuck around}. He stayed for a while we talked and laughed and caught up on little things. Then he said he had a date to go on...yep. He was headed to go out with another girl. What?? Hahha oh the Caden I remember. He left. And I was convinced we would never see each other again. I was a single mom. Who would want that? But to my surprise he texted me about an hour after leaving.. The rest is history.. No I'm kidding. We dated for a while and he finally kissed me. It was about time! 

There honestly was not a day we didn't see each other, even if it was just for a second or if it was 8 hours. He was always so thoughtful and selfless. He'd bring by a random bouquet of flowers or put a note on my car. In April we decided that neither of us were seeing other people nor did we want to. Caden then asked me to be his girlfriend on Easter. ooh this is all so cheesy i know :)

He was so cute with Nixon, always playing with him and interested in whatever nix had to say. It completely melted me. Being a single mom was not easy. On top of motherhood being a 24/7 job and having a job. Caden stepped right in. Without even being asked he helped me almost every night with our "nightly routine". Dinner, play, tubby, jammies, books, prayers, and off to bed. Nix even starting to go down to bed better for Caden! I had hit the jack pot. What 22 year old guy did that? It was amazing what a few helping hands felt like. What it felt like to have someone there to support you and help when all your patience was gone for the day. I remember a night when nix was grumpy and not listening and everything was piling on top of each other and I had completely lost my patience. I kept it together till I put nix to bed and I went in to the bathroom and cried. I completely lost it. I was feeling like a lousy mother. Caden knocked and came in and without even saying anything just knelt down and wrapped his arms around me, and had simply said what an amazing mother I was. How he acknowledged everything I did for that little boy, all of my time and efforts. It felt so nice to have someone around that noticed me. That noticed what kind of a mother I was and all my hard work. It was a blessing to have Caden in our lives. To have someone who loved and cared for us.. 

We went on a trip with the Richins family to lake powell.. The best place on earth of course. Everyone who has been there.. You know what I mean. Anyway I was lucky enough to have parents who would offer to watch nix for me and so that I could go. This would be the first time.. First time. I had ever been away from Nixon. We had not spent one single night away from each other. I knew my mom could handle it and she knew nixons schedule. We spent a whole week in gorgeous lake powell.. And it was really the turning point in our relationship. We even began to talk about marriage on this trip. Whether we were all joking about it or in all seriousness planning our life haha. We realized that we loved each other. Truly loved each other. That we didn't want to ever spend a day without each other. We were stupid happy in love. Hahha we got home and went ring shopping. I thought I'd just look and get an idea...no. The guy insisted I pick one out. I had three I liked all with different things I liked from them.. We left the store undecided. And a few weeks passed. We talked about a date. It was either.. October or May. Hahaha yup. October seemed very close and may seemed too far away..October 16, 2014. We called the temple and it was set. 

Caden proposed on August 27th. It was dreamy and perfect, in the avenues of salt lake on a balcony overlooking my favorite city. With lights, candles and rose pedals. It was something out of a movie. Our favorite song playing in the background. With the love of my life standing in the middle of it all. After kneeling down and asking me to marry him and to be his wife. I heard this little voice in the background.."mommy" I turned to see my heaven sent angel coming toward me with a sign telling me to say yes. I completely melted. In tears and with Caden still kneeling!! I could barley choke out the word YES. It was absolutely perfect. At that exact moment I knew my life had turned out exactly how it was suppose to and I couldn't help but to feel so overwhelmed with what I had been blessed with. 

from that day on everything else seemed like a blur. Plans had to be made quick and details put together even quicker. i had to get a wedding dress, a cake, pictures. everything seemed so crazy. and in the middle of all the wedding plans i was potty training a two year old! call me crazy, but i got him potty trained. Soon it was October everything seemed to be in place and ready. Leaves started to change and the air began to get a little chilly. 

  

     

                                                 
                                       

I went through the temple the saturday before we got married. i had been waiting a very long time for this day. it is a day that i hold very close to my heart, {aside from my actual wedding day of course}. there was a spirit there that you won't feel anywhere else. i felt my ancestors and grandparents that i had lost years previous there with me. as i entered the celestial room, there was my family and everyone that i love so dearly waiting for me... it truly is a glimpse of heaven. i of course hugged everyone, but an experience that i hold so dearly is the fact that i could feel my grandma shupe   wrap her arms around me as i hugged my grandpa shupe, it was as if she was standing right along side of him.. and the best part about all of this was that the man i loved so much was there with me. 

We were sealed for time and all eternity on October 16th, 2014. A beautiful fall day.

               

                                      

 wedding video in link http://www.maelynngarcia.com/videos/ {find the video with the sign that says caden and jessie, obviously} you can also look at the other videos and view the whole website. Mae-lynn is crazy talented! Also i had the very talented Kailey Rae take our engagements, formals, and our wedding day. check out her website too! http://kaileyraephotography.com

stay tuned. reception to follow. it was a dream. 

xox jess