Kimberly + Colin’s Wanderlove Story

Her Name:  Kimberly Harris
Her Birthplace: Clearwater, FL
His Name: Colin Harris
His Birthplace: Clearwater, FL

Describe the very first time you met:
Kimberly: We were at a mutual family friend’s graduation party on December.  At one point in the night, I saw him sitting with another girl and thought “damn it!”  The girl was one of my acquaintances and as we chatted later on she said, “Kim, have you met my brother?” and pointed to him!  I was so relieved to find out that he was, in fact, single.  After that, he moved to another room, and I slowly moved to join him.  We talked for the remainder of the party, eventually moved to a different party, drank eggnog, and talked the rest of the night around a fire.

Can you identify specific decisions or life events that brought you together?
Kimberly: When we first met, I attended the University of South Florida as a Social Work major. At the same time, Colin attended St. Pete College.  We knew that once Colin finished his AA degree at SPC, that he would transfer to a larger university to finish up his degrees. This would have created a long distance relationship that we weren’t sure we were ready to handle so early in our relationship. I thought I would continue my education at USF but, sudden budget cuts in the program made that impossible. I soon learned that FSU had an awesome Social Work program, and I applied and was accepted!  At the same time, Colin chose FSU as well.  If those budget cuts had not happened, we would have ended up in a long distance relationship and who knows how that would have turned out.   I want to believe that fate had a hand it in.  There were so many things in our lives that had to go perfectly right for us to be together, and somehow, it all did.

What were your first impressions of each other and what initially attracted you?
Colin: We’re both fairly quiet and reserved, particularly in large social settings and especially in large social settings with people we may only know tangentially through family connections. I knew of most of the at the party where we met, but I didn’t know her. I was intrigued to find who this cute, quiet girl was and why I hadn’t noticed her at the same party in years past.

Kimberly: Colin was cute and quiet.  We talked a little and I felt very comfortable with him right away, which was not the norm for me. We both opened up about some hard stuff that very first night, and I instantly felt I could trust him.

As you saw more of each other, what really made you fall in love?
Colin: As we saw each other more, the main thing that made me fall in love with her was recognizing how kindhearted and supportive she was, not just towards me but with all her intentions and interactions. While her kindness was obvious from the beginning, between her goal of going into the social work field to help people and her later support of me pursing my goal of attending graduate school – despite knowing she may have to give up some of her initial plans and accept a potentially uncertain outcome (she’s big about planning and sticking to her plans, so this was huge) – I realized I loved her the night she took care of me when I was extremely sick. We both had to be up early the next day for her sisters wedding, but she stayed up and comforted me, even sleeping on the floor with me. I told her I loved her for the first time that morning.

Kimberly: He is so patient and easy going. There was this one moment, about a year into our relationship, where he had a couple young cousins at his mom’s house.  These two little girls were around 6 and 8 years old.  I watched as he allowed one of them to attach a leash to his belt loop and drag him around the house.  I remember that being one of those moments where I thought “this man is going to be the father of my children one day.” He has always cared so much about everyone, even those who might have done him wrong in the past.  He always makes me feel like the most important person in his life and I have never had to doubt his love for me.

Who proposed and how? 
Colin proposed to me just a day after our 6-year anniversary.  He had just gotten home from visiting his sister in Italy, and planned to propose with some special Italian treats on our actual anniversary, but his suitcase got lost!  Luckily his bag finally arrived, and I came home from work that day to a special pasta meal and a bag of presents.  When I got to the bottom of the bag of presents, there was the ring, wrapped up like another present.  I opened it, and he got down on his knee and asked me to marry him.

As a cute addition, we had bought a special wine that we were saving for when we got engaged.  Colin tricked me, and told me that we were having a wine he bought in Italy. After I said yes, he told me that we were actually drinking that special wine we had picked out together.

Did your love face any big challenges? Any differences you had to work through?
Kimberly: My sister was 7 months pregnant when she and the baby were killed in a car accident in 2010. Colin and I had been dating for 2 years when it happened.  After they died, I became very angry at everything, and took a lot of my anger out on him.  He was so patient with me and, thankfully, we were able to work through it together.

We had both been through pretty rough prior relationships and had built very high walls to protect ourselves. We worked slowly together to bring them down, but it took quite a while.  It was over a year together before we even had the courage to say, “I love you”!   I think both of us having those walls, and tearing them down inch by inch together, made us closer and able to understand each other better then anyone. It really helped make our relationship stronger and something I cherish.  I don’t know if we would have been the same people and made it as far as we did if we didn’t have that.  You don’t really know a person until you work to break down their most secure walls. Not smashing the wall down, but taking the time to heal each brick that created it in the first place.

Where do you live now and what brought you there?
We live in Fairfax, Virginia. Colin decided to pursue his Ph.D. in Economics at George Mason University in Fairfax, Virginia because it has a lot of professors that he admired and wanted to work with.  When he was accepted with full funding, we immediately planned the move.  We were also very excited to finally be leaving Florida, and moving somewhere where the seasons change!

How do the places you have been together help define or shape your relationship?
Moving to Tallahassee, FL to attend Florida State University together was a major step for us.  That was where we moved in together for the first time, and the first place Colin ever lived away from home.

Moving to Fairfax, VA for Colin’s graduate school was also a major event for us.  It was the first time we both lived out of state, far away from our families.  In Florida, we could simply drive a few hours if we needed our families, but that option was gone once we moved to a new state.  It was a major change, as I had just finished my Master’s degree and needed to find a job ASAP so we could afford rent in Northern Virginia, and Colin was going to begin his Ph.D. which would take a lot of time away from us. It was a huge adjustment for both of us, and we had to tweak a few of our habits along the way.

Are there any locations that are special to you as a couple?
The kitchen – We love cooking and trying new recipes.  If we aren’t cooking together that night, we are taking turns cooking and it’s fun to see what the other cooks.

Barrel Oak Winery – We love this winery and love spending a relaxing weekend there.  Not only is the wine good, but we can bring our dog with us and make it a family affair!  The winery is dog themed, from their logo to the wine labels. They even have a house dog that walks around the winery.

Our couch – This may sound silly, but it feels so nice to just sit on the couch together, eating dinner, and watching a show or movie.  While it’s not the greatest couch, but it’s our couch, and it’s where we can relax together after a long day.

Do you see your location changing in the future? Why or why not?
Definitely.  Once Colin finishes his Ph.D., we will be moving to wherever he gets hired.  It is pretty unlikely that we will stay in Virginia.  We are hoping it will be somewhere further north!

In your own words, describe your style as a couple:
We are very laid-back, and enjoy simple things together.  Making dinner together and watching Master Chef while cuddling on the couch with some wine and our black lab named Ludwig, that’s the kind of nights we enjoy most.

In terms of personalities, Colin is such a calming presence, that it helps balance out my anxious nature.  I can be stressing out and he is able to help me reign in my haphazard thoughts and bring logic into my world when I feel lost.  He’s my rock, and we understand each other deeper then I ever knew possible. Colin can be disorganized, and I have a knack for planning, so I help keep his life structured and organized. It’s really a perfect balance.