Last updated on October 17th, 2024 at 06:03 am
A pair of high school sweethearts who are now married with a child have shared the beautiful journey of a tree they planned when they were first dating, whose journey they have documented in a series of heartwarming photographs.
Kelsey and Wes Dixon first met in their hometown in Pennsylvania when they were at a middle school dance.
The pair had crushes on each other then, Kelsey said – passing notes, meeting at the fountain – before they later became a couple as they moved into high school.
It was during that time, on their one-year dating anniversary, that Wes made the decision not to bring flowers to his in-laws’ home but a tree instead.
Thinking it was a unique and fun gift, Kelsey’s mom then suggested that the couple head into their backyard and plant it.
The couple took a photo to commemorate the moment – and as their relationship grew over the years, they would take an annual photo to show how much the tree had grown, too.
Kelsey and Wes took their wedding photos in front of the tree; they celebrated their 10-year wedding anniversary there, too.
Despite moving to Seattle in 2015, the couple also continue their photo tradition every time they are home.
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Over recent years they decided to share the story of the tree with the world, with Kelsey posting the pictures on social media, as well as footage to show how they now play with their nine-month-old daughter, Bennitt, around the tree.
There have been fun milestones, too: in 2023, when Kelsey found out she was pregnant, the tree sprouted another tree from its routes.
This year, Kelsey and Wes also hung a swing from the tree for Bennitt to enjoy when she’s older.
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Kelsey said: “When I look at the compilation of photos, I’m reminded that life really does fly by, and that you’ll see, learn and love different chapters of yourself.”
“In our case, we saw and learned and loved different chapters of each other.
“We’ve literally grown up together, and seeing the tree grow too is such an interesting and fun symbolism to that.
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“The other personal symbolism is the fact that Wes and I both came from the same hometown where we’ve found a lot of love and support from the people in that town, and we genuinely feel it has given us a foundation on which to build.
“The roots give us the wings.
“With all the things we’ve pursued, we constantly come home to seek groundedness.”