How WE Came to Be

Sometimes I sit and laugh at Mine & James's Story... it is just the wildest thing to me.

Usually when you tell someone that you first met your Fiancé in 8th grade, they say "awww you were high school sweethearts?!"

Yeahhhh noooooo hahah we definitely were not...

BUT

~Flashback to a million years ago to little 8th grade Jacey & James~

James grandparents served a mission in my little branch in Bardstown, Kentucky. They had brought a bunch of their grandkids to a holiday dinner at the church. And James just so happened to be one of those grandkids. 

Our only interaction really was playing few knockout games of basketball {romantic right?}

But... we lived 35 minutes away so we didn't go to the same school.... soooo we didn't see each other.... didn't keep in contact (we were in 8th grade... definitely weren't thinkin about love at that point Lol)

THEN

~Flash forward 4 years~

It was summer of 2013... and the annual church Trek activity was that summer for a few days.

James and I both ended up at that activity ...

{He swears he had a crush on me the whole time... but neither of us had showered and we were in pioneer outfits... no makeup... hadn't brushed my hair in 2 days.... I mean... it definitely wasn't my best look... it must have been inspired love.... hahaha}

While we were at that activity... on one of the days, there was a hoe down....

and guess who asked me to be his partner to dance at the hoedown...?

JAMES

So we dosie doed around the grass

{enjoy our photo evidence that my sister found...}

And then..... THAT WAS IT

After the activity we didn't ever talk, and we went our separate ways... still didn't go to the same school... still didn't live close... never kept in touch... didn't think anything of it.... we didn't know each other.

NOW

~Flash forward another 5-6 years~

I had moved out to Utah for school.... James had gone to Idaho to serve a mission....

When at the beginning of this past October.... I get a direct message on instagram.... 

From... yep, you probly guessed it.... James Harding.

"Hey! So I think I know you lol but I thought I'd say hi! And how are you doing?"

{The magicalllll words.... We laugh at how awkward this first real conversation was}

I laughed though when he sent me this message, cause I thought.... "Well, I know he definitely knows that I know who he is and he knows who I am ... and How random is this that he decided to message me out of the blue?"

When James had reached out to me, we chatted for a bit and then he asked me if I wanted to hang out!

( keep in mind I am living in Utah still at this point... and James was currently living in Kentucky) 

BUT

It just so happened that THE NEXT DAY.... I was flying home to Kentucky {just for 3 days} to surprise my sister for her High School soccer senior night.... WEIRD

So.... on October 4, 2017, James and I had our first date.

We met up at Bernheim Forrest and just simply walked a nature trail for about an hour or so and just talked and talked and talked.

{We walked on opposite sides of the trail LOL what were we doing}

But even though it had been years since our last real (and brief) interaction at a church activity... and we didn't even know each other...

It strangely didn't feel weird hanging out with him.
It felt normal.

ANOTHER BUT...

I had to fly back to Utah... that's where I was living and going to school... it was inevitable.

After that one date to Bernheim though... we talked {every. single. day}

We didn't see each other at all the whole rest of October... but again... we talked every day... 

I still have no clue how we kept that up for a month with only going on 1 date... and not being able to hang out after that...

THEN

James flew to Utah for a week and a half.... to look at some colleges and to visit his mission in Idaho.

BUT...

We hungout { every. single. day. } that he was in Utah.

And I guess we decided that we really liked spending time together...

While James was visiting Utah:

We went to the puppy barn

We established our mutual love of Chik-fil-A {had many dates there}

We went on different hikes

We drove through the canyon

We watched a Cinderella Story & The High School Muscials {I guess we really wanted to throw it back}

We had our first kiss... after our failed attempt of hiking the Y on the mountain at night (people came running down telling us not to go up causeeee there were a bunch of coyotes... so thats fun)

We ate some street tacos

And then.... again the inevitable.....

James had to fly back home to Kentucky... 

So now what?.....

Well... for another month... we still somehow managed to keep talking { every. single. day }

Again with out being able to hang out!

We were 2,000 miles away from each other!

SO....

After a month of long distance again... lots of facetimes... lots of messages sent back and forth every single day.... somehow keeping this little fire alive....

~I FLEW HOME FOR CHRISTMAS BREAK~

And guess who is there at the airport waiting to pick me up....

You probly guessed right again...

{There was James}
 Waiting for me at the gate.... 

And he took me straight to Chik-fil-A {that's how you know it's real right there}

We spent the entire Christmas break together. 

Hanging out with our families, spending the Christmas holidays and New Years together.
MANY Chik-fil-A dates... going to nativities... walking the Big 4 Bridge... you name it.

It was the make or break 2 weeks of this budding relationship.

And we made it.

James decided to move out to Utah a little earlier than he had planned ... I cancelled my flight back to Utah ... and we drove 2,000 miles across the country together

KY ---> UT

We lasted an entire road trip just the 2 of us... and it was actually the greatest thing. 

It may have been a longggg drive... but it was so much fun to do together while we were still in the early stages of our relationship.

AND NOW

I guess the rest is history!

Once we arrived in Utah in January, we just kept on goin! 

We became best friends just like that.

And we've only spent 1 day apart since we got back {and that wasn't even by choice... car problems...}

We have been on so many adventures and each day we grow closer & closer.

The timing of our relationship happened in the most PERFECT way now that I look back on it.

I think it allowed us to really take the time to get to know each other... and not in a rushed way. 

Everything was just super eased into.

Im also pretty dang sure God had to have played a role in all of this... I mean how many times did we need to cross paths before realizing that there was something special there. Literally EVERYTHING just fell into place with us, just as it needed to.

And for that... I am {SO} thankful.

And our story will only continue

xoxo 

-The Hardings