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How We Met

Pretty frequently, I get asked how Albert and I met. I honestly love the story. It’s completely out of the ordinary for the two of us and it’s totally random.

Rewind back to the beginning of June 2011 in Downtown Johnson City, Tennessee

Albert and I were both several months out of long term relationships and had both been thoroughly enjoying our singleton life. We were living in Johnson City, Tennessee and attending college at East Tennessee State University with completely different majors. Our friends, for one reason or another, dragged us our to an annual music festival called Blue Plum Festival for a good night out. The blugrass music was playing, drinks were flowing, and there was this incredible energy out on the streets.

I wasn’t looking for anyone that night. Neither was Albert. We just wanted to go out with our friends and make the most of the college summer experience.

So, how we met? A bar. Classic.

My evening had gotten started with a group of friends that I had become quite close with in the resident advisor program I was part of with my dormitory (always the good one that I am). We were taking some shots together outside of the bar and, like a beacon of light, I was immediately drawn to him. He was this incredibly tall and lanky guy with the most obnoxious highlighter yellow t-shirt on. By this point, I had already consumed a couple of drinks and a bit of my normal inhibition was gone when I made my way over to him and infamously asked, “Woah. How tall are you?”

All I remember was the look of pure astonishment on his face as he looked down on me and just stared. (Maybe there was a hint of a smile there, but who knows.) After repeating the question, he simply said, “I’m 6’5.” I was undeterred and continued to talk to him with my group of friends now joining his. Luckily, most everyone actually knew each other already or it would have made for a truly odd occurrence.

The rest of the night was spent bar hopping with our conjoined friend groups and…not talking. Although, even in my slightly altered state, I knew we were mutually doing a lot of looking. Unbeknownst to me, Albert actually thought that I was in a relationship with a guy friend in the group so he avoided me most of the evening.

After returning back to the dorm many hours later, I couldn’t quite get my mind of this cute guy with the flamboyant T-shirt and quirky smile. I went to pull up his Facebook account just to make sure I hadn’t forgotten his name and managed to “Add Friend” at 2 o’clock in the morning. Surprisingly, he immediately accepted.

That was on June 4, 2011. Our unofficial anniversary.

About ten months later, we were living with each other in a small one bedroom apartment just off campus. I had left my job as a resident advisor to fully focus on nursing school and he was missing a roommate once his cousin graduated that winter. My dorm conveniently “flooded” and gave us a reason to move in together.

The ups and downs were all part of it (let’s be honest).  We argued, and we learned each other’s tick’s and pet peeves.  We also learned how to communicate with one another, and how to respect our different opinions and personal space.  It took us years to truly figure out all of those things, but we always joke that we age like a fine wine. Every year together is better than the last. Honestly, I wouldn’t have changed a thing about our beginning together.

About who said “I Love You” first…

We kept saying, ‘I really like like you’ to each other for a good two months. It was corny for sure, but we wanted to take things slowly… even though nothing was “slow” in reality. I think that we both felt the love for each other early on, but it’s nerve-racking saying those words to another person. Especially when you mean it SO much.

It wasn’t until about ten o’clock in the evening sitting in the driveway of his grandparents house after a family dinner when Albert looked over at me and said, “I like like like you.” I smirked and said, “Oh, is that all?” He laughed, smiled, and said, “You say it first.”

Fast-forward two years or so, and we got engaged in our two bedroom townhouse after a disastrous proposal attempt at the dog park.

It was at that time that Albert and I started to chat about where we wanted to land when everything with college had ended. We couldn’t quite agree on the matter for quite some time. We spent nearly two years planning our wedding, which we also couldn’t ever agree on. But we always knew we’d end up together and that’s where we are now. Ten years later. Living in on a farmette in Southwest Virginia with our little boy, four dogs, cat, and five sheep.

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i'm danielle

I'm a Virginia-based wedding & portrait photographer capturing photos that look like actual ART. 

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In the past 10+ years as a Wedding & Portrait Photographer, I’ve found that, aside from arming myself with my cameras to catch swoon-worthy moments of my couples on their day, I’m also bringing a few other unexpected things. 

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