“Should I tell them the embarrassing part?” Haley Rawlings Christensen asked her husband of nearly five years, Wyatt Christensen, when telling the story of how they met. 

“Yeah, do it. It’s a funny story,” Wyatt said. 

Haley had just been accepted to the interview portion of the Mental Health Counseling Master’s program at the University of Wyoming, and had combined a trip to Laramie to do the interview and have a baby shower for her friend. Wyatt came along with a mutual friend, and ended up staying through the whole shower. 

“Wyatt doesn’t like to tell people that we met at a baby shower, but I think it’s pretty funny,” Haley said. “People always ask him stuff like, ‘so do you usually go to baby showers?’ The answer is no, but I’m so glad he went to that one.” 

The next thing that happened sounds like it came straight out of a rom-com.

“After the baby shower, we were cleaning up and Wyatt was super helpful. As I walked outside, I was holding a big plastic tub in front of myself and wearing a long floral dress. When I managed to open the back of the car, Wyatt came walking out of the building door. Right as he looked over, the car and wind created this crazy suction and my dress went flying over my head,” Haley recalled. “Because I was holding the heavy box with both hands, I couldn’t get my dress back down. Right when I finally pulled it down, I made eye contact with him and knew that he had definitely seen the whole thing.” 

Despite the embarrassment of the moment, it was just three days after Haley got back to Green River when Wyatt sent her a friend request on Facebook. A few days later they started messaging, and then the messaging continued for a few weeks before Haley decided to send him her phone number. 

“I couldn’t believe he hadn’t asked for it already,” she said. “After I sent that message, I got a call literally one minute later explaining why he hadn’t asked for my phone number yet.” 

After that, they began talking on the phone nearly every night, and then she got accepted into the master’s program and moved to Laramie. 

“We spent so much time together, and fast forward almost two years, we got married,” she said. “And this July will now be our 5th anniversary.” 

Becoming Best Friends

It didn’t take Wyatt and Haley long to realize that they had found the person they wanted to marry. The more time they spent together, the more they found they didn’t want to spend life apart. 

Wyatt realized he wanted to marry Haley after their first year together and when he would go do electrical work over the summer. 

“I just realized I didn’t want to be without her,” he said. 

“We just love being together, and when we had to spend time apart for holidays and other events, we would both be so sad,” Haley said. “Now we get to be together every day, and it is seriously our favorite thing.” 

Spending time together is easy when you’re not just husband and wife, but you’re best friends, and that’s what this couple is.

“We really are best friends,” Wyatt said. “We get to spend all of our time together. One of my favorite things is talking about our dreams together and making plans to build the life we want.” 

That friendship is the heart of their relationship, as Haley believes the connection stems from being friends. 

“Communication is important, rituals are important, but I think all of that comes from cultivating a close friendship within your marriage,” she said. 

Facing Challenges Together

The love and respect Wyatt and Haley share became crucial for them when Wyatt’s dad, Leland Christensen, unfortunately passed away in February of 2022. 

“The loss of his father really cast a heavy shadow over our days that really took a toll on him,” Haley said. “It really changed him in a lot of ways, and it was painful to see the person I love most experience so much suffering.” 

Haley acknowledged how difficult it can be to adapt to a partner when they are experiencing so much change and pain, but she found herself appreciating his resilience. 

“I think when your partner changes it can be really hard on you while you try to adapt and provide consistent support, but at the end of the day I don’t know how somebody could go through something so heavy unscathed,” she said. “This experience really taught me so much about Wyatt, and I have a newfound appreciation for his strength and character.” 

“Losing my dad had a pretty big effect on my life and my work,” Wyatt said. “I am really grateful that Haley was there to support me and help me remember the good things and enjoy the parts of life that are good, you know? She was very supportive in talking about mental health and helping me figure out what would be most helpful for me.” 

Haley said that while it wasn’t easy, and still sometimes isn’t, this experience became a transformative chapter for them. 

“Wyatt’s journey allowed us to discover new depths in our relationship, and for that, I am profoundly grateful. It has really given me a deep sense of pride for Wyatt’s courage so much gratitude that we get to be together for the hard times and the magical times,” she said. 

Wyatt said that they have a daily ritual where they share both the best and the not so great parts of their days, and that has helped them support each other through the ups and downs. 

“I think the rituals we have really keep us happy and doing things together,” he said. 

Over the last couple of years, Haley’s work has caused her a lot of stress that Wyatt has been working to help her through. 

“Haley and a lot of her coworkers work so hard and really want to build up the community, so it’s hard to see her not be appreciated in that work,” he said. “I have really tried to support her through work changes and have been encouraging her to find a healthy workplace that really promotes a good work life balance for her where she can feel creative and happy.” 

You Make Loving Fun

Even through the challenging moments, Wyatt and Haley truly love being married to each other. 

“We’ve had some people tell us things like, ‘the first two years of marriage are the hardest’ or ‘wait until you’ve been married for 20 years’, but I think we love being married so much because we really trust and respect each other. Including our differences, dreams, and other things like that,” Wyatt said. 

“Even when we argue or disagree, I feel like we are both truly trying to understand each other and create a space where we both feel comfortable and happy,” Haley said. “I think it could sound silly to say I love everything about being married to Wyatt, but I really do. There is nobody else I would rather spend my time with. He really is my best friend.” 

Whether they’re going for walks outside with their dogs, driving around together, or just catching up and talking, they enjoy having intentional time together. 

“We have driven to Laramie and back without listening to a single song because we enjoy talking to each other so much,” Haley said. 

As two creative people, it’s also important for them to incorporate that into their relationship. 

“We like doing creative activities together. We are remodeling our house and also love doing art inspired projects together,” Wyatt said. 

Haley said they also make a point to surprise each other, which also shows how much they know and care about each other. At their wedding, the both planned surprises for each other where Haley sang a song they both love during the reception, and Wyatt gifted her a pressed flower book he made of Wyoming wildflowers he collected over the summer. 

There was another time when Haley saw a watercolor painting of a blue heron made by local artist, Amanda Romero, at Art on the Green. She took some time to figure out if she wanted to buy it, thinking that if it was meant to be it would still be there the next day. 

“The next morning we went back and it was gone,” she said. “I was so sad, and I immediately regretted not buying it the night before. That’s when Wyatt told me that he had come back later the night before to buy it for me as a surprise and that it was waiting for me at home. I think the surprises can be little things or big things but they are a great way to show each other that we appreciate and really know each other,” Haley said. 

Why Wait for Happiness? 

For a relationship full of magic and creativity, it’s only right that they got married at Riverside Nursery. It was Haley’s dream wedding venue, as she used to work there, and owner Laura Owens was happy to allow the wedding to take place there. 

“It was an absolute dream! It is truly one of my most favorite places and one of the most magical places,” Haley said. 

The wedding planning started just 33 days before the day of their nuptials. 

“Which I know sounds crazy,” Haley said, “insert shotgun wedding jokes here.” 

The quick turn around from the announcement of the wedding to the actual date shocked many of their family members, which made them wonder if they were acting too quickly. 

“We wanted to get married before my sister’s family moved to North Carolina because waiting a year for the flowers to come back just seemed like ages,” she said. “While we were trying to decide, we made pro con lists, talked about it for hours and hours, and then finally, I asked myself, ‘why am I waiting to be happy?’” 

The anxiety mostly came from the fear of divorce or being judged for rushing, but ultimately, Wyatt and Haley knew those things didn’t matter. 

“We just really wanted to move into the next chapter of our lives together and it honestly felt like the right time. I think sometimes when it just feels right, that’s because it is, and you just have to trust yourself,” Haley said. “Even to this day, we laugh about how we shouldn’t have worried so much because it was the best decision ever.” 

“Not to younger self, do it,” Wyatt said. “It’s going to be great!”