News
Home ‹♦› May 29, 2024 ‹♦›
My last post was in 2019 - before 2020 and the worldwide pandemic. Before the worst Fibromyalgia flare of my life in 2021. Before I experienced a Pulmonary Embolism late 2021, followed by Gallbladder removal surgery (Cholecystectomy) the following year in 2022. It's been a rough few years. I think that's likely a true statement for most.
Still, even more change was on the horizon in 2023. This time something exciting. I fell in love again.
How it started...
Colton & Shelby - Circa 2010
Colton and I met by chance on World of Warcraft, a game that we were both playing at the time. It was 2008, I was playing WoW with my brother and cousins. Colton had just joined our guild. Shortly after, we found out that he actually lived in the same city as us. What were the chances? World of Warcraft is a popular game that is played by millions of people in many different regions of the world.
We quickly became friends, talking online for months before we decided to meet in August of 2009. We soon started dating and this stage of our relationship lasted until June 2011. We stayed friends even though it was tough at times and we grew a bit distant over the years - though both of us still valued each other's friendship and our memories together.
Colton and I both matured and changed in those years apart. We weren't even expecting to get back together. I had been struggling for a long time to keep up with friends and extended family, even though I definitely wanted to. Health struggles, ASD (Autism Spectrum Disorder) and Social Anxiety all combined to make reaching out difficult.
In January 2023; however, I felt like I could open up and reach out a bit more consistently. So during January and February we reconnected and caught up on what had been going on in our lives. On February 23rd we decided to get back together. And it was a bit of a whirlwind - we would both admit. Unexpected, but a pleasant surprise.
We saw each other for the first time in 12 years on March 24, 2023. And since then we've simply grown closer and more in love.
Even though it doesn't feel like it, a year and three months has passed since those early days in our rekindled relationship. We've learned a lot about our similarities, our differences - both to each other and to who we used to be 14 years ago. Over the last year, Colton has noted a few times, "it feels like things are just falling into place." And he was right. Learning new things about ourselves over those years apart helped with our understanding and communication and giving each other a second chance has felt like a fresh start and an exciting new chapter for both of us.
While we didn't go the traditional route when it comes to engagement, we knew we wanted to get married. However, we wanted to figure out a few life things first. We had been tentatively planning the wedding for a number of months, but other matters kept us postponing the date until we settled on May 24, 2024.
Our original plan was to get married at the courthouse, but through research we found out that doesn't seem to be an option in Alberta. Alternatively, we decided on a simple civil ceremony held at my family's acreage. We are both neurodivergent (Autism and ADHD) as well as introverted (peopling is hard), so the smallest, and simplest of weddings was what we both felt the most comfortable with.
Just a little aside: big events can be very difficult to simply "be in the moment" for when you deal with anxiety and disability. Your hypersensitivity causes you to take in too many details, overthink, and worry - distracting you from the moments and feelings that you are supposed to be experiencing. While it would have been lovely to have more family and friends attend, we needed the simplicity in order to fully experience our day as best we could.
As for the wedding itself - somehow I managed to pick a day in advance that was pretty near perfect for an outdoor wedding - sunny, but not too hot with a light breeze - a beautiful spring day just on the cusp of summer. The surrounding days brought much needed rain, but I was grateful for the break in the weather for that special day. We were married by a lovely lady named Diane. There were a couple faux pas during the ceremony (because how could it be our wedding without any?) - one included my putting the ring on Colton's right hand because my brain did not account for us facing each other, and obviously, left and right being mirrored in that case. I have always struggled with directions and recalling which way is left or right. Every. Single. Time. Interestingly, there is actually a term for this - directional dyslexia.
Regardless, the day was beautiful and memorable. Later, we went to Mr. Mikes to celebrate. My family generously sent us on a mini honeymoon to Sylvan Lake. We enjoyed our time away, made some fun memories and had time to think about our dreams and future plans. It's always a nice feeling to be near the water and just relax with someone you love.
How it's going...
Shelby & Colton - Circa 2024
I've put some pictures together from the wedding day and a few from Sylvan if you would like to check them out in this gallery.
As for a reception, we will likely plan an event for late summer. We don't have the details worked out just yet, as we are focusing on moving in the next couple of months. Stay tuned for more details about that later in the summer!
Note: There may be some broken links and missing pages while I am in the process of moving the site over to the new domain and host. I'll be working out the issues as quickly as is possible. Thanks for your understanding.
‹♦› Page 1 ‹♦›
‹♦› Page 2 ‹♦›