The Trip That Started It All
I didn't know it then, but my first trip to the Gulf Coast would become one of the most important weeks of my life.
We had only been dating a few months. My Camry was packed tighter than it had any business being, and we spent a week making memories along the beach.
On the way home, the weather turned. Rain came down so hard it felt like the road disappeared beneath us.
One missed turn changed everything.
The accident left my car destroyed and my shoulder broken, but somehow my family walked away with only minor injuries. Looking back, I'm reminded how quickly life can change—and how much there is to be thankful for.
Sitting in that hospital, I remember thinking, "If this woman still loves me after this, she must really love me."
She did.
Looking back now, that trip wasn't just my first visit to the Gulf Coast.
It was the beginning of the life we're still building together.