To all of you who are newly married and thankful that the awkward first dates and DTR-ing days are over, I regret to inform you that they have just begun.
When I got married, I got really disconnected from a lot of my single friends. I met so many people in church and school, but felt really disconnected. I have so many amazing friends, but still never felt connected. I felt like all my newfound couple friends all had their own group of friends and I was just connected through my husband (like their husband’s coworker’s wife.) I wanted someone to call me their BEST friend and someone who I could call my BEST friend in return.
My mom had the greatest friends growing up! Convinced that I would be friendless without my husband, I asked my sister how mom made such awesome friends in her ward and I could never connect to anyone? She said that mom probably was the same way until later on when she had kids.
Right before Brody was born, one of Luke’s friends from high school’s wife reached out to be on Facebook. We had been FB friends for a few months but never made contact. Luke was in a class at USU with her husband at the time. Rachel was a stay-at-home mom and reaching out to me as a soon-to-be. A week after Brody was born she brought us dinner. Three weeks after Brody was born, she helped us move. Then, a month or so later we finally had our first date. It was my very first mommy date. She came over to my house. We talked, crafted and hit it off just great. Over the next month we started hanging out a little bit more with chats about photography, play groups, failed play groups, bridal fairs, sick meals and more.
One day she came over and we had an unintentional DTR. I let it slip that she was my best friend and a few minutes later we were both pouring our hearts out to each other. I knew she was the best friend I’ve ever had, my best friend soul mate, but didn’t know she felt the same way. Finally, I felt connected to another woman for the first time since I was married.
Meet Rachel… selfless, kind, sweet, strong, brave and one of the best mothers around. Rachel is also a blogger and her writing is absolutely amazing. When I try to write profoundly, I think “how would Rachel do it?” Make sure to add Rachel in Real Life to your blog list to hear about life as an Airforce wife, mom and friend!
As awkward as first dates and defining the relationship can be, once I got past those steps I ended up with an amazing husband and a life long friend. So bring on the awkward first dates, ladies.
Kylee started Kylee Ann Photography 9 years ago, and has since grown from a one woman amateur show to a full associate team. We shoot 50-75 weddings a year, and thrive on kindness and service. After a year of teaching Intro to Photography at the local technical college, she discovered that helping other entrepreneurs create thriving businesses is what fires her up! She hosts semi-annual Kylee Ann Sleepovers all over the US, speak at conferences and teach online courses about running a small business and marketing.
May 15, 2013
Kylee Maughan
