In 2009 I was working as a personal trainer at LA Fitness in Washington, living with my parents after graduating college and just trying to save up money while figuring out my next career move (I may still be figuring this out lol). That January Brad made the move from Colorado to Washington for work. It was an easy choice for him to take the job, he has family from and currently living there. Of course he had visited the state many times and even lived there before. If you know my husband at all you know he hardly misses a workout (he finds a gym everywhere we go, I go through phases of such dedication). Sure enough he found a gym close by his work and started going every day. Now when I say I worked at LA Fitness it was really more like I lived there (5am-12 and 2pm-9 or 10 were my typical hours). I knew pretty much every member that came through the door, even if I didn’t know their name I certainly knew their face. So when he came walking through the door I noticed. It wasn’t in my nature to check out guys at the gym seriously, sure the girl who worked at the front desk and I joked around about guys (nicknamed them etc) but I never seriously considered anyone who worked out their. Just didn’t want to mix my work with personal life. This guy was different. I stared often, yes he noticed, I had no shame. Then I actually got very sick, was out of work for a couple months had a vacation and really didn’t see him again until the beginning of April. Being that I only knew his name from the member database (when he walked in, I wasn’t stalking don’t worry) & he didn’t know me at all (just the girl trainer, with the big butt as he puts it) it was out of site out of mind at that point. Then I was back, full time. Another member had asked me for Abs advice in my free time and we were all working out late one evening, I finally saw my opportunity. Brad and him were chatting as they lifted and I was lifting nearby. Why not offer the other guy the advise he asked for and sneak in a chance to talk to the cute guy right?! Well I did it, I strolled right up to them and said how about that ab workout, I have some time right now?? When the other member agreed I looked pointedly at the cute guy and said “do you need some help too” (or something to that affect) he was shocked and joked “I guess I need it, sure”. So off to the mats we all went. I killed them (their core muscles anyway) and this repeated a few different times. Brad asked me for some advise with back stretches, he has some lower back issues (which we still are working on) so I started helping him stretch and we began chatting a little each time he came in. From there he put on the moves (I may have shamelessly flirted *a lot* during all those workouts/stretch sessions), but he is the one who casually asked, “how do I pay you back for all this help, this is your job”. I brushed it off not wanting his money, but he pushed and said how about I take you out. After the number exchange we initially decided on a group outing of sorts but when Friday night came I totally chickened out. His buddy (who ended up in our wedding) and him were at the bar and my girlfriend bailed so I decided not to meet up with them. Which totally worked in my favor as he offered for just us two to go out the very next night. Yay for Saturday May 2nd! One of my favorite parts of this story is before that historic date I was chatting with my dad about the guy who was taking me out that night… my exact words to him were, “Don’t worry dad, he’s not Mr. Right just Mr. Right now”. Bwahahaha boy was I wrong (pretty sure my brain was trying to force that into existance, glad the rest of me never actually listened). He picked me up and we went on the best first date. Anthony’s Home Port for dinner (complete with blackberry cobbler for dessert, story for another time), then to the movies to see Ghosts of Girlfriends Past {yes chick flick}, finished with a couple hour chat in the driveway of my parents house {yes we really just talked and no we didn’t even kiss}. It was a perfect evening and he capped off the night with the sweetest text message. We texted all day Sunday, flirting of course and only saw each other once that week before he had to travel to Denver for a weekend with his buddies. He came into the gym that Wednesday and timed it just right to get in his workout and see me before he caught his afternoon flight. We stood in the middle of the gym talking and then he had to go, {I was super nervous & sad I wouldn’t see him that weekend but I had my own trip to take the next night} It was then that he quickly pulled me in for a hug. I was so caught off guard I didn’t even hug back, he just wrapped my arms around me and I grinned like a fool. After some promise to text me, or something, I only remember being stupid happy, he left. {there I was smile past my earlobes, floating on cloud nine, he hugged me} It was that weekend I promptly broke my leg (first day of mini vacay), he threw out his back golfing and we texted the whole time. We were both hooked! Ask his best friend Bird…. 😉 Since I then had surgery and weeks of non-weight bearing I was out of work yet again. But this didn’t stopped him we talked daily, he came over just to watch movies & eat pizza with my cousin and I (she was my babysitter for a weekend that my parents couldn’t, and she liked him instantly yay). It was the perfect way to get to know each other… we didn’t actually have our first kiss until the end of May, he picked my up from Jasmin’s house (best friend if you didn’t know), which was out of his way he just came to see me {insert silly girl grin again} & since the pain killers meant no driving it was a perfect excuse to see him. Once he drove me home we yet again sat in his car talking for hours, this time it ended with a sweet first kiss. So worth the wait! After that it was weeks of dates on crutches and lots of text messages/phone conversations {thank goodness for unlimited huh}. The very first time I met his parents I was on crutches, so of course his dad quickly started calling my crutch, after I was off them it became Burnett. I think it was only in the last 2 years he used Jennifer (I loved how quickly I got nicknames, I felt like instantly part of their family). Sometime in September we made the move in together (or I moved into his place). After a Valentines vacation to Arizona we got our own apartment, it was all pretty instant for us. I remember that summer us both just knowing. We had many conversations about what we wanted out of life and when marriage came up, he promptly told me we would get married in Washington of course, but only after we dated 4 years first. A man of his word… In the spring of 2010 he got the opportunity to move to San Diego for work and without hesitation asked me to go with. Turns out, it fell through and he decided to go to Colorado instead. I joined him there in September, not sure what would happen, it just felt like where I needed to go. And the rest is history. Looking back I am so glad for all of the experiences we had in the first couple years… broken bones, surgeries, sickness, long distance, a vacation, a few arguments, countless dates, a couple moves and lots of fun.

this is one of my favorite photos us of… after a road trip to Phx with my cousin where I stayed with him for about a month in April of 2010