Our Cozy Life

5 Year Anniversary Shoot - That Cozy Life - Image by Molly + Co.

/// OUR LOVE STORY

I recently shared Jordi and my ‘love story’ for my friend & photographer, Molly (of Molly + Co), to post on her blog along with some photos she took of us for our 5 year anniversary shoot, and I thought it would be lovely to share it on here as well! I love our story. It’s certainly not perfect and not what I would have ever even known to pray for, but my God am I grateful for it because it’s brought us to where we are and I. would. not. change. a. single. thing. I really wouldn’t. So here it goes.. ;)

Jordi and I were first introduced when I was 14. And by introduced I mean I didn’t actually know him, but I felt like I did because I would haul butt home from highschool to watch him on my TV screen. Ha! He played Tony Santos, a hotheaded gangster with a soft interior, on the CBS soap, Guiding Light- a show that I had grown up watching with my mom and grandma. So funny, right?! (He secretly loves it.. ;) I knew he was from South Florida, as was I, and that we had a mutual friend- our manager at the time, who was also a South Florida local. Even though we had yet to meet, I remember standing in my mom’s room at 15 and watching him win his first Emmy and I can still feel it in my bones how happy I was for him. He has always had this passionate and hardworking quality that, apparently, was the first thing I fell in love with.

As luck would have it, when I was 16, Jordi relocated from NY to Los Angeles around the same time that I was visiting LA for the premiere of Monster, the Charlize Theron film that won her an Oscar and gave me the my first big film role. I was considering making a move to California for acting, so our manager offered to make an introduction so I could pick Jordi’s brain about the ins and outs of the industry. My mom and I hopped into the car and headed to a diner in Santa Monica to meet Jordi for a quick bite.. He and I laugh to this day about my choice of outfit (purple workout clothes, anyone?) and my method of flirting. I kicked him. A playful kick, but a kick, nonetheless. Mortifying. Anyways, some sparks flew, we went on a date, and I flew back to Florida to finish up high school. Not where you saw that going, right? Jordi wrote me a few letters and we managed to stay in touch over the years and even squeezed in a handful of dates when either of us was in the same city and single. I especially remember the lunches we had when one of us was dating someone else.. The friendly conversation that always had that little spark hiding under it. I’m especially grateful for those moments now because it makes me cherish being his that much more.

For the sake of this not being a novel- fast forward 8 years. I had been living in New York after college and was ready to make the move to join my mom and little sister, Bailee, in LA, to really dive back into pursuing my acting career after a brief time working in Finance. I remember talking to my mom about how lonely I was and her responding that I should reach out to Jordi since he had always been such a good friend. So I did just that. Three days later, we went to a sushi dinner, realized the timing was finally right and jumped all in. A little over three years later, we were flirting with the idea of marriage, and I remember praying long and hard for ‘clarity and direction’ in my life. I couldn’t have gotten a much more clear answer than a positive pregnancy test Easter morning a few short weeks later. I remember that day like it was yesterday.. the intense fear of the unknown and the unplanned, and the immediate assurance and comfort from the man beside me. He proposed a few weeks later on Mother’s Day, which felt so fitting, and we were married a few months later in beautiful Islamorada, FL- in the midst of Hurricane Isaac. They say rain on your wedding day is good luck, though, right?

/// The Shoot

So 5 years, 3 moves, 2 precious girls, 1 sweet pup, and countless beautiful moments later, we found ourselves behind Molly’s camera for an anniversary shoot that, in a way, felt like the engagement session we never had. We laughed and flirted and kissed (a lot) while Molly worked her magic in a gorgeous wooded forest and then the stunning El Matador Beach. I can’t even begin to express how grateful I am that she not only captured this moment in time for us (in an insanely beautiful way, might I mention!), but also reminded me that, no matter where you are in your ‘love story’- it is always the perfect time to celebrate it. So that’s my version of how we came to be. Here are some snaps from our shoot - essentially where we are now. Life is good with him by my side.