My Supporter

Some of you might have noticed my blog is like a shrine (is that how you spell it?) of Thomas that I have decided to post about my greatest support, the person that makes me want to be better,

 my husband.

As soon as I saw you, I knew an adventure was going to happen. -Winnie the Pooh

"It was love at first painting" as Dustin puts it. I met Dustin my first winter semester in college, it was the weekend and I was in art building working on my first oil painting in my college career, when he walked in the room and right away I noticed his blue eyes and his smile ( I have a thing for blue eyes and nice smiles!) I thought he was very cute. He starts getting his supplies ready when he passes my painting and he takes a second look as says, "Wow, I thought that was a picture." First thing he was way cute, and now he just made my day! Because that was the point of the project was to have our painting look like a photograph, seriously that really made my day because I was so nervous for that project. We talked a little here there but nothing happened, we saw each other but we were always working on our art that we never really had an opportunity to talk. 

We both started dating other people, but I always remembered him. I didn't see him often but when I did I always tried talking to him. Even that summer when I was out of school but I knew he was still going to school I would find reasons to head to the art building. I would go talk to a teacher every week about projects I was working on and I would always time it when I knew he got out of class with this teacher just so I could see him, and the funny thing was I was dating another guy at the time. But summer was done Dustin was off track so I didn't see him after that. 

So a year later after we first met, it was around Christmas and I started thinking about Dustin and wondered if I would see him again and maybe we would have a class together since we were both art majors, I really couldn't stop thinking about it. During Christmas break I was about to start dating another guy but I decided to wait and see what the next winter semester would bring because I wanted to be single if I did run into Dustin again. 

Well, that winter semester started,  my first class was 8 in morning, and I still remember this like yesterday. I was sitting there waiting for class to start and there I see Dustin walking in and I seriously got so excited and my heart started pumping, and he gave me wave and sat down to the closes empty seat. YES! I thought, and during our first break (art classes are 3 hours long so we would have breaks) we both met up and started talking. And it so happened that semester we didn't just have 1 class together but 3, I think the Lord wanted to make sure that we would get together ;) The funny thing is all three teachers claimed we fell in love in their class. 

Our first date was the first weekend of school, and the rest is history, or you can just read my blog and here at the beginning because that's when I started really blogging. 

 Dustin really has been amazing from the get-go, he's always pushing me to be better in every aspect in my life. He's always encouraging me to pursue my dreams and lifts me up when I get discouraged.  He also doesn't slow me down, but keeps up with my pace. He let's me be me, he's just as adventurous as I am and likes to take chances, like moving here in Florida living with a low income and trying to make it as starving artists. Logically in my head that's nuts! But my adventurous side wanted to go for it! And it's been one of my greatest experience of my life. 

Since I have been with Dustin I have traveled more in my life, seen more new things, I have experienced more, and have learned so much. 

To give you an idea, since we've been together we have been to many midnight showings, been to New York twice, walked around Washington DC, had a baby, read scriptures together, prayed together, have spend late nights painting together, did our senior projects together, graduated together, been on 2 long road trips with a baby, traveled all over the country,  we have lived in PA, lived in Florida, have had art in a New York gallery, crossed the Brooklyn Bridge, seen amazing NC Wyeth paintings (amazing!), walked through Hogwarts, touched penguins and dolphins, been lost in a city together twice (one time it was NewYork city one of the scariest and funniest times in my life), moved to a new state with no money (the first 2 weeks we literally lived on tips that Dustin got for the day), seen Sara Evans on stage, read and discovered books together, almost saw the actors from Harry Potter twice, have meet incredible people, the list could go on. 

I know that if I had married someone else I would not have had these great experiences. 

Sometimes it has been hard trying to make it as artists and we have had long discussions about it and if this is really what we should do. One night Dustin and I had a heart to heart about my concerns and worries about the future, and him wanting to be an artist and wanting a family and such, and Dustin said something to me that has really made a difference in my point of view and really has made me a happier person, he said this after  a really long discussion and me making us write lists of pros and cons about being artists, and pros and cons of the chance of doing something else.

He said, "Jess, I really believe we can live the life we want to live." 

Maybe to you, that's not profound but to me it was. 

I can choose to be happy with whatever situation that I am. If we have a dream, even if it's crazy, we can reach for that dream, we can work for that dream, we can make that dream come true, even if we need to make sacrifices. 

 I saw a quote on pinterest that I think applies: 

"Dreams don't work, unless you do."

I also liked: 

"If your dreams don't scare you, they're not big enough"

I'm grateful that I married someone that has the same big dreams as me. I know that if we work hard, follow the Lord and his commandments than we will be happy and can full fill our dreams. We probably never have the nicest house, or the most expensive car, but we will be rich and blessed by having a family, living the gospel, and doing what we love. 

When I met you, I found me.

What is something you love about your spouse? Or what do you want in your future spouse?