Our Day Is Finally Coming!

Their story began at Landstown High School when Earl was a senior and Kayla was a junior. Their friendship grew throughout the school year all thanks to Mrs. Culpepper’s study block. Earl was already in her study block, but Kayla would frequently go to her study block to do her Calculus homework. Earl would tease Kayla for always having her toes out and would yell “KAYLA WAARRDDD” down the hall to get her attention. Kayla was actually in a relationship already with another guy. Earl knew her boyfriend at the time and Kayla would ask Earl to talk to the guy to help their relationship move along. At that moment. Earl realized that her boyfriend was undeserving of Kayla and felt he could treat Kayla better and give her exactly what she was asking for. He still helped and respected their relationship out of care for her. Kayla and the other guy eventually broke up and Earl took his chance to get closer to Kayla. Since Kayla wasn’t supposed to be dating at all at the time, their “talking stage” was under wraps. Due to some of Kayla’s mistakes, ignorance, and fear of disappointing her parents, her parents did not have a good impression of Earl. She made it difficult for Earl to start his relationship with her parents on a good note due to her choices to hide things and not communicate effectively. (Btw this is Kayla writing this with no influence of Earl) On February 17, 2014, Earl asked Kayla to be his girlfriend and she said, "Yes!" After graduating high school, Kayla left for UVA and Earl frequently visited throughout her first year. On May 29, 2015, Kayla and Earl received the news that they would be expecting. Of course this was not expected and placed a boulder in almost every aspect of their relationship. The most impactful thing that was not immediately effected was Earl's support for Kayla and her decisions. Though he fully accepted the role of fatherhood from the moment they found out, he said, "It is ultimately your decision. It is going to be your body that's affected and I already understand how much bigger the role of a mother is. I know the biggest thing you're worried about is telling your family, so whatever you need I support you." Earl's family was very nervous after hearing the news, but still supportive of their decision to have the baby. At that moment, Kayla knew they could get through anything together. On February 4, 2016, they welcomed their son, Jordan, into their lives and they were both anxious and excited. Kayla had a relatively easy pregnancy and delivery. Within the first two years of Jordan's life, their relationship was tested once again. Not only were they adjusting to Kayla living back at home and Earl living on his own, but also navigating parenthood and trying to gain acceptance and understanding from Kayla's family. The differences in their upbringing made it difficult for them to adapt to the life they were trying to build together causing them to break up for almost a year. During that year, they were able to mature separately and discover their individual goals. They got back together shortly after Jordan's first birthday and Earl worked his butt off to make his way into the family. In 2019, the pandemic hit and Earl spent a lot of nights at the Ward household to ensure they could maintain their family unit. Earl's relationship with Kayla's parents grew stronger as they saw first hand how his character and maturity as a man and father grew. Kayla and Earl's relationship also became stronger and in the middle of 2020, Earl asked Kayla's parents for their approval to marry their daughter. At the beginning of 2021, they decided to move in together. On June 22, 2021 Earl proposed and Kayla said, "YES!" They decided to do a small wedding at Red Wing Park on January 9, 2022 with close family and friends, while Kayla finished school and they saved for the Big Day that they look forward to sharing with you all on September 1, 2023!