It started with a drive-in movie… and turned into a life we never could have planned.
Parker and I met in junior high back in 2008. He had just moved to Idaho from Utah and—let’s just say—he made a pretty quick impression on all the girls at school 😉. I remember everyone had a crush on him. I thought he was cute too, but nothing ever came of it. We knew who each other were, but we weren’t really friends.
Going into high school, that didn’t change much. We had different friend groups, a few classes together, and ended up at some of the same parties, but that was about it.
Years later, I ran into Parker while working as a cashier at a local grocery store. I was home on summer break from college, and Parker had just returned from a service mission in Brazil and started school as well. He came through my line buying ice cream for his brother’s birthday when I saw him.
He waved, we started talking, and I quickly realized… Parker was very handsome. Naturally, my first thought was that he was probably taken, so I decided to just ask.
“Are you married?”
He laughed and said no.
“Okay… are you engaged? Dating anyone?”
Still no.
(Soooo smooth, I know.)
Then he asked if I was dating anyone, and for some reason I thought it would be a good idea to joke, “Nope! I’m as single as they come.”
Immediately, I regretted it.
I tried to laugh it off, we said goodbye, and I headed home—fully convinced I had just embarrassed myself.
Meanwhile, Parker got home and realized he should’ve asked for my number. He actually went back to the store to find me… but I was already gone.
Luckily, I had messaged him on Facebook and invited him to come with me and some friends to a drive-in movie the next night. He said his siblings were in town for the 4th of July and he wasn’t sure if he could make it, which I took as a polite no. So naturally, I decided to move on.
But then—about an hour or two before the movie—he messaged me and asked if he could still come… and if he could pick me up.
I was excited (but trying to play it cool), so I told him I’d actually pick him up since I was already grabbing a mutual friend. And yes… I made sure to pick Parker up first so he could sit in the front with me.
When we got to the movie, another girl in our group was very obviously flirting with him. I wasn’t sure what that meant for me, so I just tried to act unbothered.
When it was time to set up our chairs, I waited to put mine down so I could sit next to Parker—but he wasn’t putting his down either. Eventually I gave up and set mine down… and a second later, he placed his right next to mine.
(He was waiting for me too.)
The other girl set her chair next to his, but by the middle of the movie she had moved—because Parker and I were completely wrapped up in conversation. We talked the entire time. It was easy, natural, and felt like we had known each other forever.
By the end of the night, he asked me out for the next day.
And the rest is history.
We saw each other almost every day after that and got married a year later. The following year I finished my degree in Elementary Education, and Parker finished his degree in Neuroscience a couple years after that. We headed to medical school, but along the way Parker realized he wanted to take a different path. He earned his MBA and now works as an IT Project Manager.
We’ve now been married for almost 10 years and have 3 kiddos. I stay home with our kids and enjoy using my degree as a homeschooling mom.
We have done photography together for the past 11 years—capturing love stories while living out our own. What started as a simple way to document life has grown into something so much bigger than we ever expected. Photography has given us the opportunity to connect with incredible people, preserve meaningful moments, and build a life centered around what matters most.
And the best part? We’re just getting started.
Curious how this all turned into a business we love? You can read more about how Parker & Abbey Photography began here.
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