It is not uncommon that I share a couple’s story of how they met.  Put simply, I am fascinated by them and hopefully you are too 🙂 This story is different from all other stories I have told because am a part this one.  Stephanie and I lived by each other growing up…and by lived by each other, I mean close enough for her dogs to sneak into my backyard and eat our chickens.  We grew up in what is commonly referred to by Stephanie as the ‘Armpit of California’ and the ‘Gateway to the Yosemites.’  An oasis of fun to be exact.  Our friendship took flight in high school when we both made the Varsity Pole Vaulting team.  It wasn’t a pretty site getting over the bar, but we were breaking records left and right, which wasn’t hard considering there were no records to break.  We were pioneers for women pole vaulters everywhere! haha!  not really. Woah…tangent!  Just realized I was about to tell the story of Steph and Heather.  It’s a comedy thriller so I’ll save that for another time.  So anyway, Steph and I both got into Cal Poly and were dorm room mates.  It couldn’t have been more than 8 weeks into our freshman year when we decided we needed to meet more people.  We went to the Water Ski Club camping trip cuz that seemed to be all the rage at the time.  We showed up not having a clue how to camp regardless of our proximity to the Yosemites growing up.  We were sitting at a picnic table when we got approached by two guys.  Yes, guys actually came and talked to us!  Remember, we are fresh out of High School and still giddy with excitement for College life.  The conversation didn’t last long but we chatted long enough to discover that we were all from the ‘No’.  I’m sure one of use probably made a Fresno joke that wasn’t funny.  If sparks weren’t flying at that first moment for Steph and Nick, it definitely was that night when they found themselves chatting at the camp fire.  It was the start of something great which took bloom thanks to none other than AOL Instant Messenger.  Keylolo360 meet Hunter24.  The AOL chime will forever make me think of Stephanie laughing hysterically at the computer screen as it lit up her face at 1am every night in our dorm room.  As you can probably guess, they eventually exchanged phone numbers and began a relationship filled with love and lots of laughter.

It was such a gift for me to be able to take these photos and freeze in time their playful love they have for each other.  Steph is like family to me and I couldn’t be happier to be a part of their wedding in August!  Congrats you two!

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A photo slideshow by Smilebox