Disclosure: Some of the links below are affiliate links, meaning, at no additional cost to you, I may make commission off of purchases made through the links provided.

10 Things You Probably Didn’t Know About Us

Lately, we’ve been focusing on growing our community and brand so we can monetize this space. We love our little community and the people we have had the opportunity to meet in real life. Honestly, I never imaged making friends and building community on the web, but here we are. Welcome to our little corner of the web. This is a space where we can get to know you and you get to know all about us. Let’s start off by sharing 10 things you probably didn’t know about us.

1. We didn’t date before we got engaged

I had just gotten out of a serious relationship, moved to a new state, and was beginning my semester of student teaching when Logan began to pursue me. To be honest, I had no idea he was pursuing me. I wasn’t interested in dating and he is genuine and thoughtful by nature, so I just assumed all the things he was doing for me were him being a good friend. He pursued me for months before I realized he was interested in me.

At that point, we were in two different stages of life – I was beginning my teaching career and he was just starting college. I kind-of knew what I was doing with my life and he was just figuring it out. I was adamant that we couldn’t date because he needed to have “the college experience” and I wanted someone who had a career and was ready for marriage. If you know Logan, that was him, even at the age of 19.

By the time I had gotten over myself and agreed to date him, Logan was over the chase. When I agreed to be his girlfriend, he went out and bought a ring and decided to propose. Instead of asking me to be his girlfriend, he asked me to be his wife. The rest is history.

2. Chelsea has a Master’s Degree & Logan is a college dropout

I spent 6 years in college and Logan hated every second of it. I finished my bachelors degree before Logan and I got married and he was just starting his. Early into our marriage, I decided to get my masters degree. I had big dreams y’all. Right around the same time, Logan decided college was not for him and he dropped out.

Honestly, I was indifferent about. Education is really important to me. I wanted Logan to finish and get a degree, but I was also seeing first hand how hard and stressful it was for him. I had a lot of unlearning to do. Over the years, I’ve learned that there’s more to life than college. I value my education and it’s something that will always be mine. But, the narrative will be much different in our home.

3. Chelsea is three and a half years older than Logan

The age difference was a HUGE hinderance for me in the beginning. In fact, it was the main reason I didn’t date Logan. It doesn’t matter now, but it did back then. Logan was 19 and I was 22 when we got engaged. We couldn’t serve alcohol at our wedding because he wasn’t old enough. In fact, Logan was buying formula before he could buy himself a drink!

Now though, everyone thinks Logan is older. He grew out of his baby face and carries himself differently. He’s the head of our household and leads our family well.

4. Logan has always wanted to live in the country & Chelsea wanted to live in the city

Logan is a country boy, through and through. He’s always been into big trucks and motorized toys. He has always lived on property and dreamed about having his own land one day. He is living out his dream!

I grew up in the country and always dreamed of living in a big city. In college, I dreamed of living in a studio apartment in Washington D.C. To this day, I still love exploring cities. Even though I wanted to live in the city, I really love our country life. Country roots run deep, right?!

5. We had a honeymoon baby and then planned the second one

When we got married, we had a three year plan that did not involve kids. We wanted to have kids, but definitely not right away. Remember, Logan was still in college and I was just starting my career. A few months before our wedding, I was told that my hormones were imbalanced and I would struggle to get pregnant. We were devastated, but trusted in the Lord’s plans.

Little did we know, those plans were for a baby right away. Two months after our wedding, we found out we were pregnant with Madison. Honestly, I was terrified, scared, and a little disappointed. It was not what we planned for. But, the Lord’s timing is always perfect. She was the greatest, unexpected gift.

We scratched our three year, finish college plan, changed careers, and planned for baby number 2. We are now on the other side of that five year plan and the only thing that looks how we expected is us with two kids.

6. Logan is a third generation Floridian & Chelsea is from Pennsylvania

Logan was born and raised in Fort Myers, Florida. In fact, he is a third generation Floridian and most of his family lives in Fort Myers. If you know the area, you probably know it’s really uncommon. Fort Myers is definitely more of a transplant town – a place where people move to, not grow up and stick around. It’s a place where people go to retire or to live by the beach. Which is exactly why I moved here.

I grew up in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. It’s the type of place where the entire family line lives and dies. Personally, I could not get away fast enough. But now that I’m older, I understand the draw to that simple kind of life. It’s similar to what we have going on here at the Hawley compound – more on that later.

7. Logan runs a family owned construction company & Chelsea is a preschool teacher

Logan dropped out of college to run the family business Hawley Construction. He has always dreamed of taking over and running the company with his little brother, Kenny. His dream is becoming a reality. Honestly, it’s stressful on all of us, but I love seeing his dream come true.

I unexpectedly became a preschool teacher in January and I low-key love it. I was an elementary teacher before having kids. And then I was a stay-at-home-mom for three years. In January, I temporarily became a preschool teacher while my daughters teacher was on maternity leave. Well, that gig never really ended, it just evolved. I’ll be sharing the things I learn on here in the Toddlers & Preschool category. It will be a great resource for families with toddlers or homeschool families.

8. Chelsea is a 2w3 on the enneagram & Logan is a 3w2

Chelsea is the helper and Logan is the achiever. It describes us perfectly. Do you know about enneagrams or have you taken the test? If not, I highly recommend you check it out. It can help you understand a persons quirks and why someone does the things they do.

9. Chelsea’s love language is coffee and acts of service & Logan’s is words of affirmation

Bring me coffee or do something on my to-do list and I’ll feel all the love. Logan is a words of affirmation guy. He needs to be built up and encouraged by words. So, if you know us in real life, bring me a coffee and give Logan a compliment. We will know you love us by your actions & words.

Similar to the enneagram test, the love language test is a great tool for learning how to show others you care for them. Whether it be your spouse, significant other, children, or friends, it’s important to know someone receives love.

10. We started our Instagram as a way to meet RVers and learn about the lifestyle

I started our instagram @wearethehawleys as a way to meet other full-time RVers and learn about the RV lifestyle. We had no idea what to expect and none of our friends really knew how to help. In fact, I think most of them were a little skeptical. That was totally understandable. We had a hard time wrapping our heads around the idea and we were the ones pursing this lifestyle. Because of our little RV community, we had so many of our questions answered during our renovation process and felt semi-prepared when we moved in.

Because of instagram and this little corner of the web, we have grown an incredible community and made many real-life friends who live this lifestyle. If you’re considering the RV lifestyle, check out our blog 13 Questions to Ask Yourself Before Buying an RV.

---

Did you know all of that about us or did you learn something new? Do we have anything in common? Leave us a comment and let us know.

Follow along on instagram and subscribe to our blog to get notified when a new post drops.

Everyone is welcome here.